Living Truthfully, Growing Spiritually
Widespread cultural acceptance of lying is a primary reason many of us will never know love. It is impossible to nurture one’s own or another’s spiritual growth when the core of one’s being and identity is shrouded in secrecy and lies. (bell hooks, All About Love)
... i have been thinking about this quote for the past couple of days... i have been thinking about what it has to say to my trans-feminine exploration... from my point of view, my spiritual growth has been enhanced by this truth coming to the surface... i can't say i was hiding it, lying to myself and others... i don't feel i repressed it... rather... it was a latent part of my being that stepped forward vigorously at a moment in time that was ripe...
... as i have written before, a number of things happened that cleared the space for it... the death of my father... the current hyper intolerant conservative political scene (which my father supported)... being retired... living in a liberal community... all made space for my feminine to blossom...
... i recently discovered that some Native American tribes describe what i am experiencing as two spirited... a person who's sense of self doesn't match what the prevailing culture expects from people with their biological sex... two spirited people often become spiritual leaders... they are viewed as having a fuller spiritual connection because of their two spirited nature...
... i don't want to appropriate a culture that isn't my own... but it is a good way to get at the spiritual growth bell hooks is talking about and i am feeling... spiritual growth requires honesty with self and before the world... from a position of honesty, growth happens and one can aid others with their growth journeys... only from a position of honesty can one love themselves and those around them in the sense that bell hooks writes about...
Usually, fundamentalists, be they Christian, Muslim, or any faith, shape and interpret religious thought to make it conform to and legitimize a conservative status quo. Fundamentalist thinkers use religion to justify supporting imperialism, militarism, sexism, racism, homophobia. They deny the unifying message of love that is at the heart of every major religious tradition. (bell hooks, All About Love)
... there is, at this moment, a serious threat that Christian fundamentalists will gain control of the government in the United States... high on their agenda is the repression of LGBTQPlus communities... trans people in particular are targets of their enmity... they are enabled by power lusting politicians... there is no love in such religion and politics, as bell hooks points out...
... society does, of course, have an interest in curbing some forms of behavior... murder, rape, incest, theft, destruction of property... the list is long... people engaged in this behavior may be living out a kind of truth in themselves... they may be acting out past trauma that leaves them unable to love themselves and live truthfully... either way, these behaviors harm other people... tolerance and compassion blaze a trail for spiritual growth of self, community, and society, but stop at the threshold of harm to others...
... the difficulty is distinguishing true harm from supposed harm, or when a growth opportunity warrants an attendant harm...