A Thirst for the Truth
I am attending Beyond Walls: Spiritual Writing at Kenyon in Gambier, Ohio. The location is pastoral, quiet and definitely has the vibe of a New England college campus, which makes this former New Englander’s heart sing. Gambier is nothing like the college towns I’m most familiar with though — South Hadley, where Mt. Holyoke is, would be the closest, but it’s still quite different. (Middletown, CT and Northampton, MA are just too big to compare — not that either are huge.) No, it feels like the town is an afterthought being swallowed by the college campus, which feels rather strange. But, that idea got me thinking about the truth being swallowed by alternative facts.
For our opening night, Tom Ehrich, a writer, Episcopal priest and church consultant, addressed us. He encouraged, instructed and admonished us to think about how writers can change the world. It’s a huge call and I’ll admit to having to stifle the urge to say, “Yeah, right.” Not that I’m getting cynical or anything.
Tom spoke about writing for an audience beyond his walls, writing for people he didn’t know. He asked each of us to think about why we write. To think about it and write it down. Here’s what I wrote, without censoring myself or listening to the voice in my head trying to say, “That’s it?”: I want to touch people, to move them emotionally. Yes. That is my driving force, my truth, to write. Yes, I can own and live with that.
Tom’s answer to the question: He wants to change his readers’ lives. He has absorbed two truths about the value of writing: 1) the truth shall set you free and 2) the pen is mightier than the sword.
Truth has been a recurring theme this week. In writing groups, whether critiquing fiction or nonfiction, one thing the author doesn’t want to hear is, “But that part doesn’t quite ring true.” It’s important to know though, and to fix the wobbly section. It’s true in writing and isn’t it true in our lives? If you’re being dishonest with yourself, you are setting yourself up for some wobbliness in your life. How can you move through and beyond whatever deception you’re using?
He asked us to think of ourselves — the writers — as moral agents. Now many in the room were rabbis, ministers, chaplains and priests. I suspect they already considered themselves moral agents. This is not a term I would have applied to myself previously. But when he talked about writing being serious business and how truth-telling can move things forward, I was moved to consider his message. Truth telling in this age of “alternative facts” matters more than ever, doesn’t it?
Lord, help me be a truth teller.
Here are a few favorite quotes from Tom’s talk:
“Nothing kills trust faster than a lie.”
“People have an instinct for truth.”
“We have a literal thirst for the truth…it may scare us. We may hide from it for a while. Once you face it, you can do something.”
“The genius of oppression is getting people confused about the truth and then going after the truth tellers.”
“One small truth can open doors to more truths.”
Here’s a shot I call “Evening Pastels” near our dorms on the Kenyon campus. Maybe look into the swirling pinks and blues and think about being a truth teller. Where do you have the opportunity to change the world?
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