The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.
(Gloria Steinem)
It is not easy – knowing what is true (at least for oneself) and then letting it just be; letting it be enough. No defending. No arguing. No convincing. No cajoling. Nothing. Holding on to truth.
It’s not that truth is relative, necessarily; rather, that if, in fact, it’s actually true, I shouldn’t have to defend it – or myself. I should be able to hold on to what I know, believe, or even intuitively sense and then just rest. No confrontation. No persuading. Nothing. Holding on to truth.
Easier said than done. I can feel the part of me that wants to fight to be understood, that wants to argue my position, that wants the other person to finally agree with me – to accept my truth. I want to stop that. And I’m getting so much better at such. No fighting to be heard. No reiterations. Nothing. Holding on to truth.
If truth is truth, then it is enough. Nothing more is needed. I just need to hold on…and trust.
When a woman tells the truth she is creating the possibility for more truth around her.
(Adrienne Rich)
This matters to me at more than just a personal level. It matters for others that I love and care about. For my daughters – who I want to to be able to say/act from their most authentic, truth-telling self and then hang on…tenaciously…no matter what. For friends who struggle to believe in their own truth, their deepest intuition, their know-that-I-know-that-I-know-ness.
Truth matters. It is strong enough, in and of itself, that we need only know it, state it, and live it. Nothing more. Easier said than done, I know.
Maybe the key is letting the truth hold on to us vs. the other way around. Maybe that’s where trust comes in. Believing that truth is holding on to me…and that it will not let me go.
Truth is powerful and it prevails.
(Sojourner Truth)
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Ronna,
You have no idea how much I needed to hear this right now. I definitely fall into the trap of needing to convince, persuade, argue. And you are right: that is unnecessary. I should just know what I know and trust that, and be done with it.
Thank you for the reminder.
When I read this post the first time this morning it reminded me of a quotation that I just looked through all of my hand-written books to find. It’s only partially apt, I see now, because the truth you speak of – the true truth, the truest truth – doesn’t need to be heard or understood by any other person to be validated. But I wanted to share it anyway: I love the image of a wave coming to shore.
When a woman speaks from her heart, when she grounds her words in the experience she has lived, when she reads with the full faith that she will be heard, understood, she is a wave coming to shore. – Ellen Bass.
.-= Lindsey´s last blog ..Similarity and Difference =-.
And you have no idea how much it (consistently) means to me that you read, that you comment, that you resonate with what I am speaking…even via words on a screen vs. in-person. That’s a “truth” I’m deeply grateful for, Lindsey. Thank you for sharing your own. And yes…hold on to it – or let it hold on to you.
I’ve really found myself thinking a great deal about the connection between authenticity and truth and how they apply to me as a mother. Because we can so easily find ourselves unconsciously superimposing our “truths” onto our children without really asking ourselves if this is the right thing to do. Is it my place to defend and justify my truths by ensuring they are adopted by others?
Your post has really reaffirmed to me that the path of least resistance is always the most effective. Allowing my truths to hold onto me – and to simply wallow deliciously in that feeling of trust…surely this is the most sublime way of rejoicing in these truths? I think so. Thank you!
.-= Natalie Christie´s last blog ..Do You Secretly Do This In The Shower? =-.
I hear ya’ Natalie. It is so hard…when I think I know best on behalf of my daughters…to let them have their own truth; which will undoubtedly become even stronger and more divergent from my own as the years go by. I need to remember my own stories of having my truth lessened or discounted and subsequently/intentionally let theirs be. Surely, you are right: letting our own truths hold on to us…and trusting. We could form a support group for those who tend to veer from such all too easily!
have not verified, but have found the Adrienne Rich quote attributed to Women and Honor: Some Notes on Lying …
Thank you!
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