On this quiet Sunday morning, as dawn softens the edges of the world, I am pondering a philosophical thought experiment that probes the heart of our perception of reality. It goes like this: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it; does it make a sound?" We certainly can agree that something real is happening. Yet without human perception, none of our descriptions of the event would hold meaning for an observer lacking a similar sense. Even the question itself would have no meaning.
Eternal truths resonate deeply, clear to those with open hearts and seeking minds. There can be no reality—at least as far as we are concerned— without our perception. In this sense, perception shapes our reality. But does true reality extend beyond human limits? Is the creation of the universe beyond the grasp of finite beings like us? Our senses, sharpened by relentless technological advancement, let us gaze into the seemingly infinite past with ever-greater clarity. Our powers of reason let us peek behind the curtain, glimpsing the ultimate reality beyond our fleeting existence. Yet these glimpses—through telescope or theorem—only stir a deeper longing for the Light that birthed it all. Do they reveal what might be, what can be, or what is truly real? We perceive the universe as a vast unending and eternal space sprinkled with stars and stardust—no beginning, no end, and no meaning. However, we cannot fathom a world without meaning. God—revealed in Christ—fills that void with grace, the ultimate reality no human striving can rival.
For us, reality is the gray twilight of existence. We can see this in the Yin and Yang symbol— the circle of existence shaped by two opposing forces: black and white. The white side is drawn into the black, and the black into the white, opposite forces dancing within the circle of life. Their unseen intersection would be gray—a twilight where we live most of our days. We often wander, lost in this fog, and will remain lost unless we discern the light from the darkness. But this gray is no neutral ground; it is the shadow of our separation from Christ, the Source of all radiance. Walk toward the light, and your reality will shine with truth. Walk toward the darkness, and your reality will fade into the shadows. Only by turning to the true Light will we escape the fog of the twilight zone.
So, on this quiet Sunday morning, I must proclaim the words of one who walked the earth two thousand years ago, breaking the twilight with eternal dawn: “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness but shall have the light of life.” In Him, philosophy finds its truest purpose, poetry its deepest rhythm, and perception its perfect clarity. All other paths fade like mist before the radiance of His grace—the ultimate reality that redeems our fleeting gaze and fills the forest and its “Tree of Life” with resounding truth, heard or unheard, forever calling us to His eternal realm where all meaning rests.
