Once we’ve eliminated all that is impossible, whatever remains—however improbable—must be the truth.
The aforesaid is the second-most famous line to come out of Sherlock Holmes’ fictional mouth. The first will always be “it’s elementary.”
So why have we started a blog about truth with a passage from a fictional text?
It’s because it fits. Every human being wants to align with the truth. It’s why religions are so popular—they claim to reveal the truth.
But in the face of so many truths and so many paths, how does one find the right one?
It’s elementary: we eliminate the impossible.
The Impossible and the Improbable
Let’s start with religions. You might think that after the 19th-century attack on religiosity, it would have lost some of its clout. On the contrary, religion is more popular than ever. Delving deeper shows us that almost all religions do the following:
- Propose to reveal and stand for the truth
- Vilify other holy scripture as falsehood
Objectively speaking, it’s a bit of a bummer. That’s where the idea of the impossible comes in.
The Road Not Taken
Stop relying on one version of presumed truth. Unless you have explored all the paths out there, you won’t know which is the right one. People who follow one path and vilify all others—such as the character Christian in Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress—usually have a myopic world view.
Bunyan—who was a leading Puritan in his time; and was even jailed for his faith and political involvement—presents us with the protagonist (literally named) “Christian.” He is journeying toward the “Golden City”—or salvation. And his path is a “straight” one, as some angels tell him.
This idea of a “path to salvation” is one that is present in many other religions. Islam, for example (another Abrahamic religion like Christianity), also decrees a “right way.”
In Bunyan’s novel, Christian meets a fellow traveler who has come through another path—and tells him that there’s no salvation for him because he took the wrong path.
But how do we know which one’s the wrong path?
No Wrong Paths
Unlike in a computer, there are no bad gateways in the spiritual realm. Your path might be crooked or straight or rocky—and it could still lead to the same place: eternal peace with yourself.
All you have to do is abide by the divine principles of life. It’s not even that complicated—the path to salvation and peace is extremely simple and requires you to be good. To be good and nothing less—that’s the requisite. It isn’t too difficult to be a decent human being—although some forces might try their best to keep you from it.
Finding the Path of Truth and Wisdom
Many of us have been walking through the wilderness of the world, looking for meaning, divinity, purpose—something bigger. Some find it through shortcuts and never explore. Others keep on looking for hidden truths.
If you’ve been digging for hidden truths, you’re at the right place. Direct your questions to the Creator. Eliminate the impossible. Whatever then remains, however improbable it may be, is the road to be taken.