“To thine own
self be true…..”
Most of us are familiar with the above quote taking from Shakespeare’s
Hamlet, but how many of us know this verse: “And it must
follow, as the night the day, Thou can not then be false to any man.”
Unless we can be true to ourselves first, we cannot be true to others.
To thine own self be true…..how profound. How many of us have a
hard time being true to ourselves? Those of us that gave our life to
another at the cost of loosing who we are in the process will have a hard
time being true to ourselves. Allowing someone else to define who we
are, we lose our ability to discover and grow inwardly. We no longer
are able to discern a truth from a lie. For many of us, we have
accepted lies for so long, that finding out what is true takes
time. Having done this very thing, I know how difficult the journey to
self-discovery can be.
Truth….truth is a word that brings out such negative reactions to many
of us. You see truth is really an action word. You cannot accept
truth without change. Accepting truth about ourselves is difficult,
especially to those of us who have been abused. But
truth does set one free if we will allow it to; it is a crucial part of
healing. It gives us the freedom to be who we are. We are able
to come to terms with our weakness (without condemnation) and appreciate
our strength. Truth gives strength; it naturally builds
healthy boundaries. Truth is open; it is honest even at the risk of
being vulnerable again. Truth is light and brings forth life.
When we walk in truth, we walk in light and when we walk in light we live
a healthy life.
Truth is also love. The greatest act of love towards another is
living a life that is truthful. For those of us who find it
difficult to love ourselves, we will find it will come more easily when we
walk in truth about who we are. If we walk in truth, we walk in
perfect love, and if we walk in perfect love, then we do not walk in fear
because perfect love cast out fear. Because we have been honest with
ourselves, we are able to love ourselves with all of our
imperfections, knowing that we are in “process” and therefore need not
have others approval. This is freedom indeed.
The second part of this verse is a natural occurrence if we hold true to
the first part of the verse. So, when in doubt as to our motives of
not being truthful with someone….look inside, are we being less than
truthful to ourselves?
”This above all: to thine ownself be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.”
-Shakespeare-Hamlet
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