Finding Truth

My ultimate goal is the pursuit of truth.

I found truth in mathematics, which could be used to describe our world in an unambiguous fashion.

I found truth in philosophy, where I enlisted with my predecessors in search of the true nature of reality and the ultimate purpose for all things.

I found truth in rationality, striving to draw conclusions and inferences that correspond precisely to the available information, free from the yoke of bias.

I found truth in economics, identifying optimal allocations in each social problem to advance the greater good, researching mechanisms that empower people to honestly report their beliefs, and designing incentives to effectively coordinate human behavior.

I found truth in computer science, where I sought mathematical abstractions of computation to design the most elegant and structurally sound technical models.

I found truth in religion, diving into beliefs from around the world, gleaning metaphysical insights and celebrating victories of the intellect over memetic conformity, tautologies, and self-serving bias.

I found truth in mysticism, moving beyond the myopic lens of fundamentalism to uncover esoteric meanings enshrined within religious texts.

I found truth in yoga and meditation - quieting the senses, quieting the mind, and quieting the ego itself, until what remained was an exquisite clarity of thought, able to freely navigate the universe of ideas.

I found truth in the arts, exploring a gamut of ideas, emotions, and sentiments far greater than that communicable through spoken or written language alone.

To me, a successful life is one in which I everyday come closer to truth, united with my fellow truth-seekers, sharing our insights and discovering new ones, and applying the precious wisdoms we’ve attained to create a more beautiful and genuine future.

I originally wrote this for a college transfer application in late 2021.