Speaking Your Truth
What is it about speaking our truth that scares us so much? Do we fear being disapproved of, ostracized, criticized, or perhaps even despised? It is natural to seek approval from our families, from our peers, and from society at large, however, often there comes a time when our desire to express ourselves simply surpasses our desire to fit in.
We each came to this earth to be authentic expressions of who we really are. Unfortunately, however, the more we grow, the more we become influenced by our surroundings and all of the social mores we are expected to comply with. But there is a light and fire inside of our soul that can never truly be smothered, and eventually it will want to come out.
There are things that can come with maturation that some might rather avoid, but there is one thing that is absolutely invaluable, and that is the ability to speak our truth without worrying about what others will think. Mind you, not everyone gets to this phase at the same time and, truthfully, some never do. But if you are lucky enough to get to the point in your life when being authentic is more important to you than being popular, it is a type of freedom that can barely be described in words.
While being authentic does not give us a pass to be belligerent or intolerant, it does give us the right to be honest with ourselves, introspective with our feelings, and creative with our expressions. It is never okay to use self-expression as an excuse to bully, demean, or disrespect others. But true self-expression isn’t about that anyway. Rather, it is a means for declaring our soul’s view of the world and our ability to recognize why we are here and how we can best contribute to the collective.
The truth is, we can never truly hide from ourselves. We can wear masks, play characters, and put on robes, but the feelings we have within can never fully be stifled or ignored. We can try to convince ourselves of all the reasons why we “shouldn’t” do this or why we “can’t” say that but, if we are honest, we will find that the only muzzle that is placed on us is the one that we place on ourselves.
Yes, we can choose to look the other way when we see injustices. And yes, we can choose to ignore the issues we do not want to address because it makes us feel uncomfortable. But eventually we will realize that we came here to make ourselves heard, to express the totality of our uniqueness, and to ignite the passion within our soul. And nothing we try to do to repress that will ultimately make us happy. Consequently, as long as we align with and express ourselves through joy, inner peace, and a higher consciousness, we cannot go wrong.
Self-expression is one of the biggest joys that we have on this earth, and so many other people get to benefit from what we have to share as well. As such, it would be a shame if we hid all of that under a rock in favor of fitting in. I believe it was Kurt Cobain that said, “I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not.” To me, this sums it up perfectly.