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All great truths begin as blasphemies.  – G.B. Shaw                            

The pursuit of truth will set you free; even if you never catch up with it. – Clarence Darrow

As we close our unit on truth this month, I leave you with a reflection from one of our women below. In one of the stories we discussed, the narrator speaks of an empty truth. On the surface, the phrase seems like a contradiction, as though such a truth would be meaningless. But our group appreciated the phrase, reflected that such a truth is not meaningless but simple. There is often a plainness or clarity to the truths that endure.

But to achieve these truths and to view them as self-evident is a complex process. It requires engagement, risk, faith, all qualities and experience the women describe as vital to their growth within the walls of the prison. It is a process that must be lived for each truth to be embodied. Each of us almost have to act out the truths in our words and actions to understand them. Here, one of the writers reflects on this process and its role in expression.

Truth Telling

That is being true to yourself, searching, growing, and expressing yourself for you and no one else. If your following the crowd, you get lost and it can lead to soul-sickness. Walking up in a life you never envisioned. Conditions you have to deal with because your choices were not yours.

To be able to do that one must not be afraid. One must be their own spirit detective to find who they are to find meaning, satisfaction, and joy. As Janis Joplin sings “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose,” is an anthem of being true to one’s self.

One must be fearless, grounded for self-reflection. What feels right? Will you venture out of your comfort zone to peer at possibilities? Because if one stays “safe,” comfortable, are we testing ourselves to the limits to find your true state of being? Where you will be? Who you will surround yourself with?

Sometimes our foundation is built with dirt, shaky, lies, holding us back because of untruths, family imbues us with that which we internalize as truth. Only with digging through the soil, can we find the essence of what will make us grow… an end that will be pure, honest, and true.

KC