Lord! Make the cause of truth the most cherished thing for us to live and die for. If life, wealth and honour and freedom of expression are under threat, give us the strength to raise our voice against the aggressors. If people are persecuted and tortured for adhering to the truth, bless us with the courage to defend them. If people jeer and make fun of us to for upholding the truth, instil in us the patience to politely smile back at them.
Lord! Make us true seekers of the truth. Make us possessed and obsessed with this undertaking. Make this quest and yearning burn in us till our last breath. Let not anything stop or discourage us when the chips are down and there is darkness all around. Let not the love of a near one overcome us in giving a false testimony. Even if our life is at stake, make the love for the truth conquer the fear of death. If seeking the truth inflicts us with worldly failures, make us patient and persistent and consistent to keep going.
Lord! Make us understand that it is the effort undertaken for the cause of truth and to strive to seek the truth that counts – regardless of the consequences.
Lord! Make us live according to what you have declared to be true. Make us forget our own will and make us walk the path of truth marked by you.
Lord! Let there be people among us like Socrates who drink hemlock for inciting the youth to seek the truth. Let there be people among us like Ahmad ibn Hanbal who in spite of severe physical torture never bend down against the voice of their conscience. Let there be people among us like Galileo who stand for the truth and bear religious persecution.
Let there be people among us who feel the desire to seek the truth burn even more within them with advancing years – who continue this fascinating voyage undaunted and unruffled as long as their eyes can see, ears can hear and minds can ponder:
O Truth!
Thou art crafty and elusive
Thy quest never conclusive
Restless and agitated
I continue unabated
To seek and savour thee
Relish and revere thee
Wherever thou be
Wherever thou be
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