Friday, September 19, 2014 “Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say. ” * A few writers/speakers do it, but not every time. The general rule is: Speak as close to the truth as you can, and preserve ‘life and limb.’ “The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” is a grand line, but a seldom-realized practice. As one who speaks—these days with limited and err, ‘interesting’ voice—I know this to be true. If you say exactly what you feel, it may come out as truth, but in a fashion that makes those who hear-- not listen. “You are a low down, no good, dirty rotten sinner!” Some will say, ‘Finally, a preacher who tells it like it is some respond. Others simply touch the ‘mute’ button in their brains. “God has standards and ideas that make life better for ourselves and others. Can we look at those and see who we measure up?” Same truth, different voice. Why bother? Just say what you feel. Because others ‘out there’ may not be ready to receive what you think and feel and say, that’s why. To find a way to communicate that reflects your view of things while respecting the ‘place’ of others, opens the possibility of completed communication. If I preach, “Love God and others and yourself,” (‘the Great Commandment, Mark 12:28f), hearers think, “Hmm, OK, that’s right, that’s good.” But if I add “Now let’s talk about what ‘others’ means here, and I list, for example, our enemies, or people very different from ourselves, (each of us can add a category) then hearing ‘stops’ for the moment. Truth is a learning process. I’ve always, and still do believe that ‘truth crushed to earth will rise again,’ and that the truth will eventually make itself known. All who write or speak or who live truth know that it never comes with a guaranteed acceptance package. Truth fights its own battles to make itself known. Saying what we feel instead of what we ought includes several thoughts. One: Say what you feel with respect for where others might be. Two: Believe that truth comes directly or indirectly. It moves more slowly, but it moves. If you’re having a discussion about something like this, and think, ”I wonder what Keith is really trying to say in this, and what he means?” –then you can ‘see’ it happening---truth making application of itself to real values and issues. Each will speak the truth in his or her own way if speaking truth is a thing you choose to do. Truth in love is the best way of doing that in my book. I’ll speak what I feel in a way that allows others to consider it’s worth, and trust truth to make itself known in the process. And whatever I speak may it always include, Always love, always, Keith *William Shakespeare, King Lear, the Duke of Albany is speaking: “The weight of this sad time we must obey, speak what we feel and not what we ought to say.” + Thanks Helen, for that ‘Always love in all ways.’ That feels and speaks truth to us.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Sep 2014 11:06:08 +0000
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