Speak your Truth

Today, just back from a week’s holiday, I pulled out ‘truth’ from my little bowl of inspiring words. These words act as my guidance for the day, sometimes for the entire week.? As always, I like to get back to basics: where did this word originate, what does it mean, and how has that meaning changed over time?

Its roots are ancient, dating back to an Indo-European root, drew-o-, meaning? “to be firm, solid steadfast”. Interestingly, this same root has given rise to other words in everyday use: truce, trust, and even tree.? And there still is a sense of ‘firm, solid and steadfast’ in the meaning of these words.?

As it evolved over the centuries, possibly millennia, truth came into Old English from the Anglo Saxon word, triewe , meaning ”faith, faithfulness; fidelity to country, kin, friends; loyalty”. What’s even more interesting, to me at least, is that there is no verb for being truthful or speaking the truth.?

We can lie; we can’t truth.

We can, however, speak the truth. Or, rather, speak our truth. I believe there is a difference here. Your truth constitutes what, in your heart of hearts, is true for you. Mine, what, in my heart of hearts, is true for me. Your truth may be very different from mine, which is why I’m not at all sure there is such a thing as “The Truth”

Can we really speak “The truth, the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth”?? Clearly our legal system believes we can, and bases the truth witnesses speak — their recollection of the events, their interpretation of the forensics, their opinions as expert witnesses — as the evidence to put before the jury. And the jury, in turn, has to weigh up the evidence and give their opinion of it — their truth — which finds a defendant either innocent or guilty.?

I agree this oath does caution a witness from lying and perjuring himself or herself. It doesn’t necessarily get to the truth.? I don’t believe there is such a thing as the Truth. Unfortunately, there are fundamentalists among us who do.? And would insist that all who don’t recognise or follow that truth are infidels and need to be either converted to the truth, or massacred for their infidelity. It's happening right now as I write this.

That is yet another inheritance from the Indo-European culture that gave us words like truth and tree.? The Mongols sweeping through vast swathes of Europe and Asia, instilling their culture of domination on the peoples they conquered. The few controlling the many, intolerant of differentness; intolerant of anyone foolish enough to defy their power.

As we become increasingly polarised and divisive as a society,?we are subject to the intolerance of others who insist their take on the world is ‘the Truth’ and refuse?to enter into dialogue or admit to views other than their own.?

This makes it even harder for others to speak their truth. That means being vulnerable when it may well not be safe to do so. Having the courage to speak up against abuse; to speak out against violence or wrongdoing.?

Have the courage to speak your truth. Recognise it’s your truth, not The Truth, and allow others the freedom to speak theirs. Engage in dialogue. Get curious about those whose truth differs from yours. Appreciate and celebrate the differences and bring greater tolerance to our fractured world.

Or would you rather let those who believe they have ‘The Truth” dominate us and take us back to the days of Genghis Khan?

Almira

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