21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

background. Beauty too, as explored in Chapter 14, can have the effect of taking us out of ourselves. The reality of what we do and why we do it is always going to be part of mystery. This in turn is touched on by Simon Parke as he speaks about the pursuit of truth:

‘The pursuit of truth is not an intellectual affair. It is merely the dismantlement of our attitudes. ‘To receive truth, I need above all things to create something new inside me, a space not previously developed. I need to create a middle space, or in-between place — somewhere that is other than both my starting essence and my claustrophobic personality. A place where I can take off my coat and simply experience myself. A place to listen to who I am, free from the tyranny of personal agendas. A place where I can begin to trust my experience as something other than my manipulative ego. A place where I could prepare to hear the truth and perhaps recognise it when I do. What a fine place that would be, if I could create it: an inner sanctuary, a clean space within.

‘The search for truth is all in the preparation.’

Parke continues:

‘This moment of discovery and revelation…has been called the mustard-seed moment. It is a moment requiring two simultaneous experiences; the external experience of the thing perceived, and the internal experience that is ready to appreciate it. That is why two people can look at the same view and experience very different reactions. They share the same external experience. But their internal experiences are poles apart. ‘We see outside us what is inside us.’

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