TRUTH . . . IS A MYSTERY

We were in London's theatreland. My wife and I had just witnessed the final scene of The Mousetrap, a record-breaking play by Agatha Christie. We had sat through two hours of mystery.

Once we had learned 'whodunnit' a member of the cast stepped through the centre curtains and asked us not to tell our friends, not to spoil their enjoyment - perhaps also not to ruin future attendance and profit!

As we mounted the stairs in the circle to leave the building I noticed an atmosphere quite different to the normal chatter that follows most theatre performances. Hundreds of people were making a rather hushed exit together. My wife had not noticed this until I pointed it out, but then I have always been ultra-sensitive to atmosphere. 'You're right' she said, 'It is different.'

Things quickly returned to normal once we emerged on to the West End street, but mulling the matter over as we walked I soon realised what had happened. We had all shared in the sense of a mystery, a secret finally revealed. There was a sense of the esoteric. Somehow we were all held quietly together; to say we had bated breath would be to exaggerate, but it came close to it.

That is how I understand spiritual truth to be. A series of discoveries which deeply affect us and give us a sense of wonder. However, it seems to me we shall never fully understand. The sense of mystery will always be there. In fact as we progress it will probably increase. The more we know, the more we shall realise there is to know. Perhaps like learned astronomers whose every discovery leads to an even further unfathomable dimension.

Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be explored, as a friend of mine once gently informed me. I liked that. It could be trite to say that all our problems are hidden opportunities, for many of life's experiences are painful and extremely distressing. Yet I do believe there is truth within that statement, though it may not always be prudent to say so.

//Continued