repose

  Old truth or old gossip? Well, for me they are both about the same. Hard to prove either one unless you were there. Even then you have to factor in your own biases. Yes, we all have inherent bias. We aren't always aware of that, sometimes we simply refuse to believe that, and at others we are forced to admit to it. Funny thing is, truth and gossip both endure. It's been said the truth will set you free. I don't know any positive adages about gossip. I'm certain there are some though. 

 This thought came to me after a brief conversation last evening. I was engaged in some discussion about family histories with an old friend. We mutually agreed that some things were best left in the past. It doesn't matter if it is the truth, or just gossip that we had heard, it serves little purpose. There are times when the truth doesn't need to be told. I believe that is covered with the old adage; it isn't nice to speak ill of the dead. The truth can hurt the living. It does no harm to those that have already passed. Tarnished memories are often an unpleasant thing. When we discover that things weren't quite the way we remember them. It's worse when we discover that not only where things not the way we remember them, but that we were misled in those memories! That's not the way I heard it!

 Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Every mind must make its' choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both." Ralph sure had a better way of saying what I'm thinking. I couldn't agree with him more in regard to that sentiment. There are times when we learn a truth about the past that may be upsetting. You see that happening a lot these days on a national level. Mostly everyone already knew that past but didn't know to be upset by that. Most had chosen "repose." Repose means rest, and in this instance allowing the past to rest. When there is nothing more to be done, nothing more to be said or discussed, it is time to put it to rest. No sense crying over spilled milk, as the more colloquial expression goes. 

 That applies to every one of us on a personal level as well. We may discover our heroes weren't all that heroic after all. Tarnish has a way of forming over time, that's the nature of tarnish. The truth upsets us and there is nothing we can do about that. The wise simply choose repose is my thought. Repose is the acceptance of truth. That would be my response to Ralph W Emerson if I could have a discussion with him about that. In a variation of the first quote, "every mind must make its' choice between truth and repose. It cannot have both" he wrote, "God offers to every mind its' choice between truth and repose. Take what you please, you can never have both." 

 Life is a constant struggle between the truth and what we wish to believe. That's the long and short of it in my opinion. I cannot control the actions or motives of others. All I can do is make choices. Whatever choices I make will determine my fate. And my fate, it is my feeling, has nothing to do with destiny. Yes, I think the universe will unfold exactly as it has been planned by a power far greater than myself. I'm not so concerned with naming that power, as recognizing that power exists. 

 Will my actions, my choices, influence the course of the universe? Well, that is the nature of faith. Can I alter destiny? Well like Ralph said, you have to make a choice between truth and repose, you can't have both. He also said God gave you that choice. So, if God has given you the choice, I'm certain God also knows what choice you will make. It has been written that Jesus said, I am the truth. Yup, it comes down to making a choice. It would seem you can't have both. At least not in this world. Choose wisely is my only advice.