A: I see a bird.
B: Me too, and a squirrel. Where’s your proof?
A: Well, it’s chirping in that tree up there. See its tail twitching and its beak moving? It’s that feathery little creature on that branch. Don’t you see? He sees you.
B: No, but I know it’s there.
A: I don’t understand why not. You have eyes and ears like mine and they’re in perfectly good condition.
B: Is that what you rely on for proof of existence?
A: For the most part. I could say I saw a squirrel too but I’d be lying because there isn’t one in my sight. I don’t sense it and, hence, cannot prove it’s there. It may be somewhere on or in that tree or at this park but I can’t say for sure and so I won’t claim it is at all.
B: Ah, but I go by the premises that if there’s even the slightest possibility that there’s a squirrel around, I’m going to say I have proof for it and say that there is.
A: So, you go by more than just your senses? You go by a 6th or something? I call that lying.
B: You could say that, but I’m a believer. There’s a distinct line between a lie and a belief.
A: Oh really? And what’s that?
B: A lie isn’t true but a belief can be.
A: But aren’t they both relying on a false statement to cover the fact that there is no current solid evidence that can be demonstrated to the senses?
B: Yes.
A: Then…I don’t get it. A lie can be true also but isn’t. Faith in a lie doesn’t make it true. No matter how much wording you put into it, it’s not physically approachable. It could be from the past or the future but it’s not true until it’s verified by the subjective observer and their direct interaction.
B: Don’t you trust other sources of information?
A: The key words are “trust”, “belief”, faith" and so forth. These are not providing me with facts. I am the fact, they are the transformation of me into abstract language only I can interpret and deal with on a personal level. They cannot be converted backward or forward except through other language using bodies. An abstract idea is not first found and then made into material existence, no, it is the opposite and only opposite that this is plausible unless the idea is from a language using body who is passing the concept on and in such a case the likelihood of its proof in relation to reality is questionable.
B: Oh, wow. I think I have what you’re saying.
A: See that bird now?
B: Yeah, I saw it all along.