Truth, acceptance and silence

A person has one natural longing: to be accepted. He wants his word to be accepted, to be thought right, and to seem "all right" everywhere. But it is here that the first compromise with truth begins.

A person who wants to be acceptable everywhere

can never speak the whole truth. Because the whole truth is inconvenient. It raises questions, it challenges settled beliefs, and it forces people to look within themselves. Not every society, group or relationship can bear that much honesty. So a person slowly learns what to say where, how much to say where, and where to stay silent. On the other hand,

a person who speaks the whole truth

cannot be acceptable everywhere. Such a person is often left alone. People call him "harsh", "impractical" or "insensitive". In truth the problem does not lie in his truth; the problem lies in society's limit of tolerance. And here a deeper truth comes into view:

Truth stays unchanged,

society only decides how much of it is allowed. Truth does not change, but its expression is confined. Only as much truth as a society can bear is able to take the form of words.

What can be borne becomes speech,

the rest is kept safe in silence. This silence is not cowardice. Often it is discernment. Because not every truth must be spoken, and certainly not at every moment. The maturity of a life lies in knowing this: when to speak the truth, when to hold it safe in silence, and when to filter our words through compassion. In the end, finding the balance between truth and society is one of the hardest sadhanas a person can undertake. One who learns it neither lies to himself nor fights the world without need.