Ten Lessons in 2020: Truth + Sovereignty

Photo: @eccentrix_gallery

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.” - Oscar Wilde

Do you know the story of Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose? I first discovered this story in a film class in college and later went on to share it with my class of high school students when I became a teacher - it was, and still is a great example of perspective and getting to the truth.

Strangely this has been a weird literary year for me.

I’ve been recalling many old favorites like Ayn Rand, 1984, The Lottery…not in the usual way that I think fondly of my mental bookshelf, but in disturbing ways that I find myself feeling deja vu and referencing a story that is mimicking real life suddenly - or the way I felt when I was reading it.

Out of sorts.

I’ve been a truth seeker my whole life; and the times in my life when I’ve gotten into the most trouble have been the times when I find myself on the wrong side of it - fighting based on principle.

Instead of learning at a young age that my truth mattered, I learned that people bigger than me and more powerful than me could enforce their truth on me and I had no choice but to endure this. The result, 49 years later, is a life lived on my terms, rebel in my blood but I rarely act on it, and a natural instinct to question authority. My responses to childhood trauma.

Truth has many faces.

Never has this been more true than this year, and never has it been more important to know yours and to have a solid understanding of how you discern the truth that aligns with who you are. My dear friend Erica calls this your “True North,” I call it “sovereignty.” Sovereignty not in the political sense, but in the personal sense, as in your unshakable truth that you feel guided by and that cannot be questioned or changed. Perhaps this is where your moral code lives, where any religious dogma or spiritual beliefs and practices can be found - it is the special fabric of you that helps guide you along in this life. It is a deep knowing of truth that is yours and yours alone.

“It’s very hard to keep personal prejudice out of a thing like this. And no matter where you run into it, prejudice obscures the truth.” - Reginald Rose (Twelve Angry Men)

This year has been a beautiful frame for practicing our awareness about truth, discerning the truth for ourselves, identifying our sovereignty, and checking everything against our own truth before we give it our blessing. Together we have navigated the places where there are harmonies, and we’ve also explored the edges of our collective darkness; this has been one of the most beautiful blessings of this year.

“It takes a great deal of courage to stand alone even if you believe in something very strongly.” - Reginald Rose

The collateral damage that Truth left in its wake this year is huge for me. The clarity I have gained from a year of this truth practice has given me a courage that I have been yearning for since I was a little girl. The truth fire I am now stoking inside of me is burning brightly and I am learning to trust it with my whole heart.

“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” - George Orwell

At the end of the day, is it your truth that is guiding you? And, when you step inside of yourself are you in perfect harmony and alignment with your sovereignty or are there places where changes need to be made? Are you gentle with the teacher before you who questions your truth? Can you see the blessings in sharing various perspectives without feeling like yours is threatened? Do you have the courage to stand up for yourself when you know your truth, even if you are alone?

Thank you 2020.