“Whoever fights monsters
should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you
gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.” – Friedrich Nietzsche
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| “Truth is the purity of someone’s heart.” - My Mother |
While having lunch with a friend this week, I was asked what
I considered to be the most important thing to me. Being a family person and
family-oriented, my first thought was of them, and I quickly spoke it aloud. Yet, as I listened to his response, I paused. It was a pause of creation, whereby an inkling of new perspective mixed with a fallow mind willing to listen and receive. As he explained his take on things and the importance of honesty in his life, the seed of wisdom was sown. Yet, his question made me think long after our lunch was over. What is truth really?
I mulled it over, thinking about it from every viewpoint, considering all of its possibilities and if the root of the equation of life could be broken down to something so simple. Maybe, even as a metaphorical exaggeration, I seemed to move through the stages of grief as I felt the shifting of my paradigm from that of denial, to anger at the simplicity of it, to even a moment of despair; I even attempted to bargain for it to be something different until it finally registered. In that silent moment of contemplation, I began to understand the underlying
importance of truth and what it is.
What is my truth?
Art often imitates life, and it can be the great muse needed
for artistic expression. It can assist in revealing the layers underneath the everyday
mask through its cathartic-like therapy, and it can also be a welcome reprieve,
whereby one encounters great truth.
When I was a young child, not only could I not keep a secret, I couldn’t lie. The importance of honesty stuck with me all the way to the present. It's an intricate part of
my character. It is the foundation for the cornerstone of life. Although all truth is not free of interpretation, i.e., what is understood based on my interpretation through my sieve of experiences and senses, the absolute importance of honesty and veracity cannot be overlooked.
I like to consider myself a person with a little bit of
moxie, able to bounce back. I’d even surmise that I’m quite blunt in the things
that I say. I mean what I say and say what I mean. The lack of a filter has
sometimes served to my detriment, but it is still a part of the learning process and thus, the basis
for my happiness, success and ambition.
When we lie, we lie not only to others, but also to
ourselves. However, when we are able to have the audacity to live honestly,
then we are able to take the reins and drive toward what we wish to accomplish
in our lives, including the lofty ambition of happiness.
So, I look at the monster knowing the truth of what it
means, and I fear not that he may be looking right back at me.
TINA GLASNECK is the author of THOU SHALL NOT and isn't afraid of asking questions, challenging herself or even having a loud laugh-out-loud moment. When she isn't devising plans for world domination, researching various topics on Google or looking at funny memes online, she is definitely still trying to figure out the meaning of life, one philosopher, and murder, at a time.
Feel free to connect with Tina on Facebook.
Excellent blog post, Tina! Wow. And darn those filters. Not the censoring ones, but the ones that won't allow us to see the "truth" as others see it.
ReplyDeleteMost important thing in my life? Yes, I would have said family without hesitation. Hmmm. Now I'll have to put the question to greater introspection.
I once took a class on documentaries and the take-away from that class was that there are no true documentaries, because it's always through the filter of someone else's interpretation. Truth, fact, fiction - the lines sort of blur.
Thanks Sofie! I'm starting to notice that I am blogging about what I feel is important to me, and showing the growth in my life from my own experiences. Glad you enjoyed it. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Tina. I often get into these deep episodes of self-examination...and then I fall asleep. :-) Seriously though, I'm going to have to think some on this. My first instinct is to say to live each day to honor God, but then I admit that right now the most important thing each day is to simply survive the constant demands on my time, sun-up to sun-down--meaning that it feels like I go through each day without thought to what is most important. I'll let you know if I figure it out.
ReplyDeleteHere's an interesting fact about aging; you stop caring so much what the 'truth' is. And I know this isn't what you meant in your blog, yet as a person recovering from an overload of opinions, I'm finding life to be a lot easier without them. Everybody, and I do mean everyone, has good, solid reasons for believing just about anything under the sun. Even psychopaths have excellent reasons for being the way they are (brain injury, and/or a really rotten childhood for example), so I'm learning there is no truth, without a bunch of filters, and that's okay. It's how we are made, and probably has to do with the Tower of Babel. Truth, for me, is how I honestly feel in a moment. Not how I wish I felt, nor my opinion of the correct way to feel, just - what is. Right now I'm loving your passion - and your honesty.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Tina. And Elvy makes a point that i've noticed. As I've gotten older, and definitely as I've become a mother and dealt with medical issues with my children, my patience for bullshit has decreased. From others, from myself. What i've also figured out is lying to others wasn't about the others, it was about me and my lack of confidence, something else that was blown away by having my children.
ReplyDelete