Chapter 8


ESSENTIALS
TO
KNOWING THE TRUTH

By
The Man Who Saw God Face To Face
Raphael Okechukwu Nweze

1. Be honest in all dealings with your fellow men.
   
Those who practice falsehood or fraud are blinded by ignorance, and led away from the Truth.


2. Rise above sentiment. You should be able to look at issues from rational perspective (point of view). That means being objective,
   
discussing matter without fear or favor. In all cases, you have to stand for Truth and defend It.


3. Reject false religious and socio-cultural beliefs.
   
The fact that the majority are doing something is not an enough reason for joining in the act. You should do something because you have considered it and found it to be right. That is why God commanded that “If a multitude sin, you should not join them.”


4. Be ready and willing to walk alone.
   
As a true philosopher, you will discover that majority are often ignorant of true realities of life. Influential personalities and significant others may not know the Truth, despite their boisterous and overbearing attitudes. Even the trusted religious leaders may not know the Truth, while some of them who know may not be bold enough to say it. In such a situation, you will need to walk alone, to stand alone and to live by the Truth. Noah walked alone before and during the great flood. He saved himself, while many perished. Abraham walked alone by departing from his native land where paganism was the order of the day. Galileo walked alone when the Roman Catholic Church excommunicated him for saying that the sun is outside the earth (not on the sky at it seems to be). Walter Mondale walked alone when he was burnt at the stake for producing the first Bible. Today, these individuals, who stood for the Truth, are world heroes. The majority are not always right. Besides, the majority are easily misled because of their ignorance and general love of ease.


5. Read so many Sacred Texts.
   
Sacred Texts are books written with inspiration of the Holy Spirit, books written as revelations from God. And I tell you the Truth, to read one Sacred Text (holy book) is not enough for a person to know the Whole Truth. Consider the parable of two students. It is like two students who went to the university to study. The first learns from one course only. The second spent years learning from all courses. The first remains a student, because he knows very little. He can never claim to have comprehensive knowledge of the Truth, because he studied one course only, out of numerous courses. The second becomes a master, because he knows all. Therefore, a wise student is advised to read wide. The author of this book, who has read many Sacred Texts of different world religions and who has also seen the God Almighty, face to face, bears witness that it is the same God Almighty, who inspired all the scriptures (Sacred Texts) of different world religions.


6. Search for the Truth.
   
God said “And Ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:23.

How do you search for something? You search everywhere, every nook and cranny, in the home and outside. Besides, you search for the object where it is and where it is not. You will leave no stone unturned. Again, you do not search and stop. Instead, you continue to search until you find. But what do the majority do? They do not search for the Truth. Many play safe by expecting others to search for them. They prefer to believe whatever their religions tell them. By the time the enlightened ones are no longer in their midst, the society becomes a reality of blind men leading a blind people. Jesus said it correctly,

“Let them alone: they are the blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch (pit)” Mathew 15:14

What is more? Whoever that follows a blind man, makes himself a blind fellow.
…Raphael Nweze

In other words, if you do not search out the Truth by yourself, ignorant people will mislead you into falsehood, and yet claim to be doing a good thing for you.


7. Be like the wise adult who will not hesitate to learn from a child who knows the Truth.
   
The wise adult would not hesitate to learn the Truth from a child who knows very well. But in our societies, people are not wise and humble enough to learn from their juniors. That explains why God often introduces new and great developments by using the ordinary men. Often, those in positions of authorities, who should know, are puffed up by their prestige. They are too tall to bend low; and too forward-looking to see what is at their feet. They are so intoxicated with their empty greatness that they fail to see the rich simplicity of Almighty God.