The Fallacy of Facts

The Fallacy of Facts

Today my youngest brother, an 8th grader, complained to me that his grades would be a lot better if he were better at taking tests.

“You don’t have to be bad at taking tests,” I said.

“But I am. It’s a fact,” he replied.

“Well, facts change.”

Too often with chronic illness we get into a chronic belief cycle -- believing that the present situation is the way things are always going to be. Not only is this belief damaging, it’s completely wrong. The one constant in the universe is that nothing remains constant. All of creation is dynamic. Everything is engaged in a perpetual cycle of change, mostly on levels we’re unaware of, that our conscious minds can’t begin to comprehend. This throws the entire notion of a "chronic" condition into question.

One year ago, the “facts” were that I was underweight (118 pounds at my lowest), in a great deal of pain most of the time, possessed by major anxiety and depression, unable to exercise, and unsure when healing would come -- or if it was going to come at all.

Today, the “facts” are significantly different: I exercise several times each week, I have less pain, I am happy and at peace much of the time, and I have just topped 140 pounds (mostly added muscle from the exercising I never thought I’d ever be able to do).

The main reason for the changes? I shifted my perception and stopped believing that my condition was static, or stuck. Since facts are not objective, but rather relative to our beliefs and mindset, this wasn’t something I caused to happen; it was a natural result of the shifts within myself.

The fact is, facts change. With a little nudge, the facts of your reality can change, too.