What Is "Conservative Truth?"

What is “conservative truth?” It's good to ask the question, and seek answers to the same. 

“Conservative.” What is that? Who is that? Why? Or “Liberal!” 

And what is “truth?”

This discussion could take a while! With many different threads and rabbit trails.

These terms have changed some over the years. The designations have been used to draw lines in the sand for political, social, and even religious maneuvering and battles, even wars, for many years. And it doesn't seem to be getting any better. 

Generally, I see “conservative” as a position of wanting to preserve what can be seen and understood to be long-held standards, mores, and customs, which have developed over the course of many years, even centuries. Through the working of life, there can develop a way of doing things that just works, not just for some but for everyone.

Granted there are wide variations throughout the various cultures around the planet of what “works” or not. There are more primitive cultures/societies, and there are huge differences between aboriginal societies of the jungles and so many varied cultures around the planet. There are some main streams of history, though, with regard to human life. We in the U.S. find ourselves as heirs of what is commonly called “western” civilization, a direct lineage from the Judeo-Christian faith which originated in the middle east, Israel, and came through the Greek, Roman, and European families of man. There were many other influences to be sure, but this is our core. 

Truth has to do with reality, with that which is real. But it is more, I believe. What is the source of reality, and that which exists? The person of faith believes that God is the true source of all things, the creator of all that exists. And He is more, as He is not just some remote being of spirit, but He is involved in the lives of the creatures He has created. Considering that He made us, He knows how we work, what we need to live, and how we might best live our lives. He knows what is best for us - after all, He made us! Truth has to do with facts, but more importantly it also concerns thoughts and ideas. Through the ages, it is our thoughts, our thinking, that has separated us from the rest of the beasts and creatures. 

It is interesting, even fun, and almost comical, to see how the “scientists," physicists, astronomers, philosophers, and others try to explain what life is, where it came from, how the world and the universe began, how it holds together, and why it functions the way that it does. But they often try to do it without any consideration of God, the creator and sustainer of all things. The common explanations of how the universe began, and especially how life itself started, are absolutely phenomenal when they are devoid of God and His creation. The “laws” of science bely any notion that something, anything, can come from nothing. Where did the substance of the world come from? If God did not create it from nothing, has it just been here forever? 

There is much talk about the “big bang” theory, even a TV show with that title, but how and when did such a “big bang” happen? They have made newer and bigger and more powerful telescopes that can help us to see some of the farthest reaches of the universe. We are seeing light that comes from stars like our sun that are literally trillions of miles away, which light must have originated some 28 billion light-years away, or so they say. By the way, a "light-year is the distance light travels in one year. Light zips through interstellar space at 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second and 5.88 trillion miles (9.46 trillion kilometers) per year.” 

So that comes out to a light-year - 5.88 trillion miles - TIMES 28 billion - to the furthest star that we can supposedly see now. Written out, that is 164,640,000,000,000,000,000,000. No one can even begin to really imagine and know what this means. I don't even know how to say this number! Maybe 164 million trillion.

Doing a little research, the nearest star to Earth is "Proxima Centauri, roughly 4.2 light-years from Earth, a distance that would take about 6,300 years to travel using current technology. Such a trip would take many generations." Do ya think!?!? Even with a very conservative (I used the term that is the subject of this article) estimate, it is virtually insane to even consider a colony on the Moon, let alone on Mars as some far-reaching “thinkers” suggest. It would take about seven months if a spacecraft departs Earth at a speed of about 24,600 mph (about 39,600 kph), and the trip to Mars would be about 300 million miles." 

My conclusion on this is that with our extremely brief time here on this planet, some 6,000 or so years of recorded history, and with how little we actually know about truly living in any semblance of a healthy manner with one another, we would do well to learn how to treat one another right. Face it, we are truly stuck here with one another. Many of the dreamers who are considering space “travel” and extra-planetary colonies cannot even live in peace with their own spouses or families. How are they going to do it “in space” with all the potential difficulties they might face?

More thoughts will be coming on “Conservative Truth…” I just know they will.