Join Jamie for a philosophical deep dive into a concept that has defined humanity from the beginning: Truth.
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What I Learned in Therapy
What Is Truth?
Hey, welcome back to what I learned in therapy with me, Jamie Lang. Today we are going to dive into a deep topic, a deep phenomenon in our life, and it is the concept of truth. In fact, this concept is shaped human existence, I think, and I'm not really sure what it is, this thing that is shaped human reality. So, I thought it would be a great topic today because today is January 20th, 2025, and it is the day that we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Today is also inauguration day, and I don't want to spend too much time giving it much attention, but it is a day where truth is being weaponized in ways I never could have considered. And so, we're going to talk about truth today, and different ways of thinking about it. But before we do that, I want to remind you that I am a licensed clinical professional counselor, I am a registered 500-hour yoga teacher, I have an additional master's degree in communication and gender, I have a private practice called humble warrior counseling, and it lives inside the vault, and the vault is a healing center. There is also a small yoga studio in the vault where I do retreats and gatherings for people who want to combine the body and their spiritual practice with their mental health. This is the trifecta of radical healing. In fact, I just had a retreat last weekend where we talked about a hymnsa, non-violence, and saccia, which is truthfulness. It was one of the most eye-opening and loving experiences I've had here at the vault, so if you're listening out there, ladies, thank you for showing up with your love and disarming yourself so that our wounds could be present for kindness and compassion. Thank you for changing my life. I'm really excited because this week I'm launching my digital course integrative healing, the synergy of psychotherapy, yoga therapy, and mindful wisdom. It's a full and complete course studying the yamas and the niyamas in yoga philosophy. The yamas and the niyamas are guidelines for how we can live our best life and a life with less suffering. The course is designed by me and it is for healing, it is for wisdom, and it is for everyone. If you're interested, go on over to the website. It's located in the show notes and check it out. When you show up for the course, you're going to learn lifelong skills and lifelong tools to help you live a life of less suffering, so please go check it out. Truth, where to begin. We grew up being handed truth, or quote unquote truth, about our identities, about our morality, about history, about American history, religion, schools, and also really about the world around us, about how things work, or how things are supposed to work, how systems work, etc. In fact, most of us, whether we're willing to admit it or not, begin to question, is this truth actually mine? Does this truth reflect who I am and who I want to become? Then if the truth does not align anymore, or when the truth starts to feel uncomfortable, what happens then? Do I confront the truth, do I confront those who gave it to me, and is it safe to do so? And then that identity piece, if I don't believe this thing anymore, who am I? If I don't believe this thing that my family believes, or my church believes, or my community believes, who am I? When I used to teach at the university, at Boise State, freshmen would come in so certain of who they were, certain of their identities, what they believe, that their parents are right, etc. And inevitably, most of them, if not all, about halfway through, start to look at their classmates and say things like, I've never thought of it that way, or I've never met anybody who's had your experience, or you're so different from me, tell me more. And it's not that they walked in with the wrong ideas, because I believe that ideas are neither right or wrong, there are some that are more helpful and more applicable. It's mostly that they came in with ideas that were small, ideas that were incomplete. There is no story that is concrete. There is no story that ends. There is no idea that ends. And watching them begin to build compassion for themselves as they change, because that's exactly what they're supposed to do. We don't have to abolish our belief systems when we look at them. Looking at our belief systems, and what feels true, is an act of compassion for self and for others, because we are always changing. So checking in on how we are changing helps us live more congruently, and in alignment with what is good for self and others. So today we're going to talk about how truth has been given to us, how it is shaped by power structures, and what it means to reclaim truth, as a practice of personal integrity. From the moment we are born, our beliefs are inherited. In fact, probably before we even take our first breath, we are given truth. Babies in utero start to learn the truth of their external environment by the truth of the mother's internal environment. And that's of course not to blame the mother. But it's scientifically proven that babies start to become aware of what's outside of the womb while they are inside of the womb. So imagine from the get. Once your brain starts forming, ideas of truth are also being formed. We are conditioned to accept these truths, not because we have discovered them for ourselves, but because they have been handed down to us, not only in utero, but through genetics and through generational trauma. They are also handed to us from culture, like I said, religion, family, and institutions. These inherited beliefs shaped the way we began to see the world, the way we experienced the world, often without our awareness. Many of us grew up being taught who God is before we have the capacity to understand or question spirituality for ourselves. We are given scriptures, rituals, jewelry, and dogmas that define universal truths and are handed to us as universal truths. And questioning becomes an act of resistance or defiance rather than perhaps just intellectual curiosity. Many cultures probably near you or around you define religion as truth, dictating what is right, what is wrong, what is good, what is bad, what is sacred, what is profane, and who is saved and who is not. The history we are taught in school is a carefully curated narrative focusing on the achievements of those in power while simultaneously distorting or minimizing even erasing, suffering, oppression, murder, genocide, rape, death. Our American history glorifies the founding fathers while downplaying or admitting to the violence of colonization and slavery. Nationalism is built on the historical myth that we are exactly the same. These myths serve to unify people under one common identity, even if those narratives exclude or oppress others. But we're not supposed to have one common identity because we are all very different. We are also spoon fed that laws are just, that leaders act in our best interest, that democracy ensures fairness. But history shows us repeatedly that truth and justice are determined by those in power. From propaganda to censorship, governments across the world have used quote unquote "truth" as a tool for control. One of the most pervasive and I think destructive common truths in our country is this idea that success is a direct result of hard work, that you will succeed, you will have wealth if you work hard enough and if you don't succeed and get that dream, it's your fault. It is a personal failing by you as an individual rather than the systemic inequality built into the infrastructure in the DNA of our country. The American dream, for example, tells us if we just try hard enough we can achieve wealth, happiness and security. We'll look around you, look at the people you know that work their asses off. Do they have wealth? Do they have security? Maybe it's you. What about those born into poverty? Those born into cultures that are not legitimized. The reality is that success is often determined by privilege. It is often determined by access and opportunity. Yet this myth persists to keep individuals, people like you, people like me, striving within a system that benefits a few. These truths are reinforced through media, education, religion, family structures. I could go on and I know I'm being redundant. But we are created by these truths. Our identities are created by these truths and we will not stop seeing ourselves and others through these very small ideas unless we begin to question these roles and ask who am I beyond what I was told to be? Because you see the challenge with inherited truths is that they feel absolute. Many of us spend years living under these beliefs only to realize later and sometimes only after much harm has been done that they do not align with who they are. And that is where the journey of knowing oneself so well begins when we have the opportunity to question what has been spoon fed to us. The process of distinguishing between truths we were spoon fed and truths we must discover and uncover for ourselves. This is where knowing oneself begins. For centuries, well probably from the beginning of time, the concept of truth has been debated or sought after. And when I get stuck, I often turn to the philosophers who I studied who taught me how to think. Many of the greatest thinkers in history suffered greatly for standing in their truth. Socrates born 470 BCE and died 399 BCE believed that truth was not something given, not something to be spoon fed. It was something to be questioned and uncovered over and over and over. He developed what we now call the socratic method which I use very often in therapy with my clients. The socratic method is a way of seeking truth through relentless questioning. He challenged politicians, poets and fellow Athenians asking them whether they actually knew what they claimed to know. And for this he was put on trial for corrupting the youth and disrespecting the gods. And his sentence was death by hemlock. He was offered an escape, but he refused believing that to abandon his principles would be the real death of himself. His final act was to prove that truth requires courage and integrity even in the face of execution. Frederick Nietzsche born October 15, 1844 and died August 25, 1900. Challenged the idea of absolute truth arguing that all truths are created by those in power. He called out the moral hypocrisy of religious and political institutions claiming that they use truth as a means of control. His ideas were so radical at the time he was ridiculed, dismissed and rejected. After his death, his ideas were manipulated and misused, particularly by the Nazi regime, distorting his true philosophical intentions. Gandhi, born October 2, 1869, died January 30, 1948. Redefined truth as not just factual, but moral and ethical. His philosophy of such a graja or truth force was the foundation of his nonviolent resistance against British colonial rule. His commitment to truth, especially his belief in the unity between Hindus and Muslims led to his assassination by a Hindu nationalist who believed Gandhi's truth was a threat to India. Malcolm X born May 19, 1925 and died February 21, August 1965. He was only 40 years old. He was a relentless truth teller about systemic racism, oppression and the necessity of black self-determination. He challenged the narratives that change could only come through patience and compliance, advocating instead for self-defense, economic empowerment and black liberation. This led him from the nation of Islam to a broader vision of global human rights, challenging both American racism and oppressive structures worldwide. His assassination was a direct response to the power of his truth, his refusal to be silenced and his insistence on dismantling white supremacy. Michael Foucault, born October 15, 1926, died June 25, 1984, believed that truth is shaped by those in authority. He examined how medicine, prisons, education, create truths that justify their power. He warned that those in control decide what is true, not because it is right, but because it benefits them. His work ironically challenged institutions that were harming him directly. Foucault died from complications related to HIV and AIDS in 1984, at a time when the disease was highly stigmatized and politicized. His death itself was shaped by the very power structures he exposed. And Martin Luther King Jr. Born January 15, 1929 and died April 4, 1968, embodied truth as non-violent activism, justice and radical demand for equality. His commitment to truth was rooted in non-violence, a hymnza, also in love and the belief that justice must be pursued relentlessly. While he is often remembered for his dream of racial harmony, his later years were spent speaking uncomfortable truths about war, capitalism and systemic inequality. His assassination for standing in his truth proved that even a commitment to peace and justice is met with violence when threatening power structures. So what does this mean for us? Are you having fun yet? Most of us won't be executed or imprisoned or assassinated for seeking the truth or even speaking the truth. But there is still a cost. So I want to talk about truthfulness as opposed to truth. My understanding of truthfulness comes from the Sanskrit word. I mentioned it earlier called Satcha. Sucha is more than just the truth or more than just honesty. It is the practice of aligning our lives with our deepest truth, regardless of external expectations. It is not about rejecting falsehoods, but about committing to a lifetime of self-examination, integrity and authenticity. At its core, Satcha is existential in nature. It forces us to ask ourselves, who am I? What am I? What do I stand for? For whom do I stand outside of this cultural conditioning? Outside of my conditioned response to societal pressure or the fear that I won't belong. It challenges us to recognize when we are living out of alignment with our values and have the courage to recalibrate. It's a process of knowing oneself so deeply that your values are not something you have to reach for, but they are embedded into your existence. And when you find yourself out of alignment, which we all do, it's having the courage to question oneself and re-center. Truth is not a static thing. It is something we uncover, something we deepen into and evolve with over time. What I learn in therapy every day is that truth is not static. Someone will come and tell me something that is very certain in their mind. And the next week that certainty has evolved into something more complete. And then that certainty is evolved into something more complete, over and over and over. When we discover that something we thought was true, no longer resonates, it can feel very destabilizing. And that's okay. We're humans with consciousness. We are supposed to change. That's our job. We're here to die. We're here to change. Practicing Satcha is releasing the pursuit of truth for certainty. It is practicing the presence and awareness and willingness to grow. Truthfulness means questioning your conditioning, and truthfulness means being honest about your wounds. Healing cannot happen when we are in denial of reality. Truthfulness means aligning your actions with your deepest integrity. Many people claim to value honesty, but compromise it daily for comfort and convenience or approval. Like I said, most of us are not going to face execution for standing in our truth. And in living in your truthfulness, an alignment with who you truly are and your deepest values sometimes means losing relationships or necessitating that relationships change. Sometimes it means breaking away from institutions where you shop, where you go to yoga, where you go to church. Practicing truthfulness often involves dismantling identities that no longer serve us. But in return, this alignment offers something invaluable. So today is Monday, January 20th, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It is also inauguration day, a day where you're never going to get back. And the hardest thing about consciousness, I think, is realizing that in the present, we cannot correct the past. This is where we are. The philosophers that I spoke about today knew that truth wasn't just an idea, but rather a way of being. So I'm going to leave you with these questions and I hope you'll sit with them. I hope you'll sit with them non-violently and compassionately and earnestly. Where are you out of alignment with your deepest values? Where have you been avoiding the truth because it is uncomfortable? Where have you accepted a version of truth that benefits you but harms others? Where have you accepted a version of truth that benefits others but harms you? And what would it mean to live fully in alignment with your own integrity, your own deepest values? What would you lose? And what could you gain? What I learned in therapy is that my truthfulness is what matters to me. I am not policing anybody's truthfulness because they will show me their values by how they act. And when they show me their values by the way they act, I get to choose. If my values align with theirs, great. And if they don't, it is my choice to turn away without violence for my safety. One of my core values is non-violence. And I have to check myself because listen, oh Lord I had a moment last week where I wanted to step out of my values and walk up to someone and just berate them for wearing a shirt that calls into consciousness. The harm of LGBT people. I was inflamed. I wanted to call him names and harm him. But one of my best friends in the world, Mary, said, Jamie, remember who you are and remember your values. And so I did, I dropped in, I did some breathing. And I remembered one of my core values is compassion. The man wearing the shirt that is designed to harm people who have never harmed him is an ill man. He has illness and I have deep compassion for people who are ill. As we left, I turned toward him and I wished him well. And not only did I wish him well, I wished him into his wellness because that man is ill. Knowing yourself so well that your values are embedded in your life and your life is an example of your values will always be your most powerful tool in this world. So write down your values and keep writing them down and keep questioning them and then question them again and again non-violently. Please keep questioning your values with non-violence so that you can practice living in Satcha. Your life is your example. Thank you for listening. Now go out there in that big old world and spray paint it with all of your love, all of your integrity, and all of your truthfulness. [Music]