We often talk about integrative medicine, the blending of ancient Eastern medical wisdom with modern scientific techniques.
I think we need to approach philosophy/spirituality/faith/religion the same way.
We need integrative philosophy.
We need an approach that embraces wisdom from every tribe as well as the millennia of scientific understanding we’ve gained since most of the world’s religious cannon was written.
No matter where (or when) you find it: Truth is truth is truth.
We need a posture that celebrates each perspective for what it is, combined with a sober rationale and clear heart to recognize each’s boundaries.
Every theory has a realm of applicability. Deep wisdom allows us to know where each one ends and a new begins.
Our universe is a mosaic, our beliefs and methods for defining the many layers of reality—physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology, spirituality—should be as well.
A narrow set of beliefs can only deliver a narrow view of reality.
A narrow view is expansive enough for some.
But for others, like me, I thirst for more.
I long for a deeper, wider, more fluid relationship with reality than rigid dogma could ever deliver.
I need a worldview expansive enough that truth—in all its forms and languages—has space to coexist, merge, and compound upon itself.