The Truth is Out There....Somewhere in the Middle

I love the world we live in.
I love the shades of gray it has.
I love the fact that the world is interpreted in different ways by different people.

And that's why I find it tough to understand how people can consider their point of view as the absolute truth.
Is there such a thing as 'absolute truth'?
More often than not, people take an extreme stand on an issue for the sole reason of giving themselves a shot of confidence. Dithering midway in an argument doesn't present you in good light, they say.
Well, you dont have to dither, but isn't it possible to stand in the middle with confidence?


Does idealism work in today's world?....or should I be a pragmatist?

Was Saurav Ganguly to blame for the entire controversy?...or was it the vested interests in the administration?

Laissez-faire capitalism?.......or State-run socialism?

Are people all-important in my team?........or is it just the profits that I show at the end?

The answer is always in the middle, either as a separate entity or as a mix of both extremes. And the fact that it corresponds with the inherent nature of the world-system only adds credibility to the theory.

As a result, I tend to gravitate naturally to the centre of any argument without taking any of the sides which naturally form on any contentious issue.
This can lead to some heartburn, as my friend told me recently, "You know, the problem with you is that you love sitting on the fence!"
.....And that's a very possible negative fall-out, but I think the distinction can be easily appreciated.

Decision without facts = sitting on the fence
Decision with facts = sitting in the centre

Even in our individual pursuits of God-knows-what in our lives, we tend to use extremes as measures of goal-fulfillment.....maximum money, minimum pain, maximum happiness, zero tears,.........
But maybe if we concentrated at maintaining balance in the centre of our individual, private and social spheres, the extremes might just take care of themselves.

And it was a pleasant surprise to come across the Buddhist philosophy of the Middle Path. The Wisdom of the Ages is truly more than just a quaint and romantic notion!

Balance - It's what the world runs on, and it's what we should be searching for.

hmm....Time to keep exploring!