Transmutations...changes made from one form, nature, state or substance into another.

Well...here it is...my secret...the core of my beliefs...some say my ultimate weakness...all summed up in one word. I like to think it's our greatest strength...the ability to adapt to changing information and views. It has never ceased to amaze me how some odd new outlook or understanding can "tweak" our entire view of the world, and subsequently, our view of "self." These constant adjustments can keep us honest and keep us in tune with the changing and growing world around us.

The information revolution of this decade deals not only with "hard" data, but also with data about each other...our beliefs, our lifestyles, our conflicts, our joys, our differences...and our sameness. For the first time ever, we have access to the everyday actions and thoughts of people all over the world....and this access is changing the shape of our lives. How much harder it is to close our minds off from understanding people whose lives and beliefs differ from our own, when we can so casually meet and converse in the ether. How much easier it is to see ourselves in our brothers and sisters across oceans.

It has often seemed to me that some of our deepest prejudices, and in many cases our shallowest ignorances, have been fostered by our unwitting blindness to the world around us. Much of the time we seem content to adapt, and hold as our own, opinions and beliefs expressed by those who lead us, or those held by the majority. This is understandable in a sense, as one of the most human needs we have is to be thought well of by others...but it is also unfortunate in that it frees us from investigating the truth of said opinions for ourselves. Even in this age of science and fact, we often hold fast to ideas and beliefs that in essence may have less bearing on truth than certain ancient superstitions.

Mind you, I am not addressing those ideas and beliefs that will ever and always be a matter of faith...these thoughts in no way deal specifically with religious, or deity related issues. I speak only of those things that can actually be proven by human observation and interaction. A perfect example would be the once commonly held belief that some races of people were somehow superior to others...more intelligent...more "fit" to certain roles. This belief, once held common by many of us, is rapidly foundering, and is taking its rightful place amongst the discarded superstitions of the past.

This separation of truth from opinion is coming to us slowly still...but it is coming. It isn't being brought to us in dreams or in blinding flashes of insight, but rather, it becomes evident as we observe the world around us. By keeping our minds open and seeing for ourselves, we can judge the veracity of those things we have inherited as "fact." We can then choose our beliefs for ourselves and shed those that do not own up to reality. We can experience new ways of thinking and share new points of view that widen our horizons and bring us a deeper wisdom.

Doing this requires an absolute willingness to change...to let go of ourselves as we know ourselves, and to become something new. This, in my opinion, is the definition of transmutation. It's not always easy...in fact, it can quite often be uncomfortable. It is guaranteed to make life complicated if the truth you feel you have observed goes against commonly held opinions. In point of fact, in that case you will come across many opportunities to test that truth, and you should always be willing to accept those challenges. It is only by doing so that you will be able to attest to and strengthen your stand. It is also the only way in which you can weigh opposing viewpoints, bringing in new information that may cause you to go back and reevaluate. If such is the case, you may have to change once more, and thereby come even closer to an honest truth for yourself.

I am always bewildered by individuals who challenge my opinion but refuse to debate the issue. They seem to take different opinions as personal affronts or as "proof" of another's ignorance. I understand the former somewhat. It is very hard to separate what we believe from who we are. It may even seem impossible. As individuals, we can only be what our experiences have taught us to be, but in that case, do we stop our growth by making a conscious decision to be what we are and never anything more? Is it proper for us to cover our ears and eyes at some specific point in our lives and thereby say there is nothing left for us to know or to learn? Is it impossible for us to accept change for ourselves without losing some important part of our very essence? Is the truth we hold so very tenuous that it can stand no close scrutiny? Having lived for as long as I have, having changed so many fondly held opinions,and having also proven some to be steadfast, I find this hard to believe. I feel very much myself and have no fear of being perhaps a little bit different tomorrow. I can, however, understand some of what is behind that fear. It is something I hope to address in a future column.

I find it harder to understand when my opinion differs from another's, and they truly believe that I hold said opinion in ignorance, yet refuse to explain their's. If this is the case, why wouldn't they wish to enlighten me? I pride myself on my willingness to hear an opposing argument...indeed, this particular column addresses my (sometimes obsessive) need to compare my own beliefs with others. I cannot guarantee that I will "come around," but I will always listen carefully. I will test each issue against my own observations and use the new information to attempt to gain a deeper insight into my own, and another's, nature. This can only help me to a clearer understanding of life, as seen by myself and by others. More often than not, I will see a similarity of thought in such arguments. It never ceases to amaze me how often people are saying essentially the same things in different words. It is those essential things that I keep as truth.

Having said that...what is lost by comparing issues? Only those things that should be lost, each to his own. I will go my way, with new knowledge, and the other will go another way, with new knowledge...which brings me to the subject of disagreement.

You and I do not have to agree. Somehow, we seem to have formed the notion that disagreement negates truth. I firmly believe that disagreement is an important path to truth, because truth needs constant testing. Without disagreement, there is no testing ground. Disagreement only becomes truly negative when we use it to hurt each other.

In a perfect world, I suppose we would all agree on everything...but then we would have uncovered and proven all the truth there is in the world, to everyone's satisfaction. Not that this wouldn't be a wonderful thing...but it does not fit the present reality. Because of this, I have always liked the phrase "Let's agree to disagree." Only by allowing, sharing and comparing each other's opinions and beliefs can we hope to separate the universal wheat from the chaff and, perhaps, come closer to that perfect world.

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