Truth is like fire; few wish to be burned. <br /> To be burned by one's truth, to allow truth to sear one's soul: <br /> Here is the meaning and purpose of existence. <br /> But ordinary life is the more attractive, easier alternative: <br /> With family, friends, and the commitments they engender, <br /> One may safely avoid the quest all one's life long. <br /> We are asleep in the coolness of ordinary life. <br /> But truth's fire may yet awaken us with the sting of its licks, <br /> Compelling us to live our lives in its heat and light, <br /> Helping us walk through its fire and not be burned.<br /><br />Dennis A. Zelazny<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/truth-is-like-fire/
