Making Space for Truth, Over and Over Again

How to speak to intimidation

I wonder if I’m the only person with a vague sense of being boxed in. We’re being extra careful about Covid, so that’s part of it. But I’m thinking about a self-imposed caution about everyday speech, and even thought.

It’s confusing. For example, as a “liberal” I don’t dare say “democracy” to a “conservative” unless I want an argument. Think about it. I feel trained to pre-judge what I want to say.

A book on my shelf has caught my eye because it’s about reclaiming spontaneous expression. I know that Life, Paint and Passion is about making art, but could I apply it to making conversation?

Today Democrats and some Republicans are in the position of responding to lies in their communities. How can you speak truth to a lie when speaking truth is either ignored or provokes aggression?

Recently a school board member asked for a mask mandate until all the children had a chance to get vaccinated. He was ignored.

The book above is about how to be bold in expressing yourself.

• Dare to be your unusual self

• Manipulating what you say is constraining and stressful

• Letting go of fear frees you to be yourself

Last week I heard of a way to apply these ideas. Heather Cox Richardson said,

I believe you change the course of this nation by changing the way people talk about what’s done and the language they use.

It’s no accident that the right wing has emphasized media. They’re out there talking all the time. The way human psychology works is that if you hear something often enough you start to believe it, even if you know it’s not true.

Heather Cox Richardson, December 7, 2021

So one of the things you can do is to articulate your values. What if people began to hear, “Hey, I really love the idea of teaching all of American history, the good as well as the bad. I really love the idea of universal health care. I really love the idea of democracy.”

Step up on social media, step up speaking with your neighbor. You can say, “I don’t want to hear your racist jokes”, or whatever might be happening in your neighborhood.

Missing from our discourse today is a full-fledged defense of American ideals that were embraced in the best parts of our history.

I think this a way to start to reclaim the public discourse.

“Letting go of fear frees you to be yourself.”

Life, Paint and Passion was published by Penguin Putnam, NY, 1995

I’ve condensed the conclusion of Heather Cox Richardson’s December 7th politics talk on Facebook