Your Truth vs. The Truth: Why Feelings Are Not the Same as Facts
Author’s Note
This is a topic I feel deeply called to speak on, not from a place of judgment, but from lived experience — both my own and what I witness in the world around me. Like many of us, I’ve had moments where my emotions shaped my perception more than I realized. And part of awakening, at least in my journey, has been learning to lovingly question my own certainty. Not to invalidate my feelings, but to strengthen my connection to what is real, grounded, and ultimately freeing.
⸻
When Did Truth Become Personal?
Somewhere along the way, we began treating truth as something customizable.
Something flexible.
Something personal.
We hear phrases like, “That’s my truth,” as if truth is something we each get to define according to how we feel in the moment.
Now, let me be very clear:
Your feelings matter.
Your experiences matter.
Your perception matters.
But feelings and experiences are not the same thing as objective reality.
Two people can live through the same moment and walk away with completely different emotional memories. That doesn’t mean reality split into two versions. It means perception interpreted the same event through two different nervous systems, belief structures, and emotional histories.
Perspective explains how something feels.
Truth explains how something is.
And confusing the two creates a lot of the tension, division, and misunderstanding we are seeing in the world today.
⸻
When Beliefs Become Identity
One of the most concerning shifts in modern culture is that people no longer simply hold beliefs — they become them.
Political views, spiritual frameworks, social causes, even personal opinions… all of it gets wrapped into identity. And once a belief becomes part of who you think you are, questioning it feels like an attack on your existence.
So instead of asking, “Could I be mistaken?”
We ask, “Why are you attacking me?”
But beliefs are meant to evolve.
They are meant to be refined.
They are meant to be challenged.
In psychology, this is closely tied to ego attachment — the part of us that wants stability, certainty, and validation. The ego is not interested in truth as much as it is interested in being right.
But the soul — the higher self, the consciousness behind the personality — grows through humility.
Every major wisdom tradition teaches this in different language, but the message is the same:
Attachment to being right is a barrier to awakening.
⸻
Spiritual Bypassing Disguised as “My Truth”
In spiritual spaces especially, the phrase “my truth” is often used to shut down conversation rather than deepen it.
It can become a way of saying:
“This is how I see it, and I’m not open to hearing anything else.”
But spiritual growth does not happen inside echo chambers.
If something cannot be questioned…
If it cannot be examined…
If it cannot be discussed…
That is not wisdom.
That is belief protected by fear.
Truth does not collapse under scrutiny.
Only fragile identity does.
Awakening is not about finding the perfect belief system to defend.
It is about learning to distinguish between perception and reality — and having the courage to adjust when those two don’t align.
⸻
Compassion and Discernment Are Not Opposites
One of the greatest false dilemmas of our time is the idea that we must choose between compassion and truth.
But real healing requires both.
We can validate emotional experience without validating inaccurate conclusions.
We can care about how something feels without pretending that feelings automatically define reality.
In fact, discernment is a form of compassion.
Because it allows us to respond wisely instead of reactively.
Without truth, compassion becomes enabling.
Without compassion, truth becomes harsh.
Consciousness requires balance.
A soft heart and a strong mind.
Empathy and evidence.
Understanding and accountability.
⸻
Why This Matters So Much Right Now
When society loses respect for objective reality, dialogue becomes impossible.
If every disagreement is labeled as harm, and every challenge is seen as hostility, growth shuts down — individually and collectively.
We stop learning.
We stop refining ideas.
We stop correcting mistakes.
And without correction, there is no evolution.
Truth is not what divides us.
Our inability to tolerate discomfort is.
Growth has always been uncomfortable.
Transformation has always required humility.
There is nothing empowering about fragility disguised as righteousness.
Real strength is being able to say:
“I may not have the full picture. Teach me something.”
⸻
The Freedom of Letting Go of Certainty
One of the most liberating moments on the spiritual path is realizing that you do not have to be right to be whole.
You do not need to defend your identity to be worthy.
You do not need to cling to beliefs to be safe.
In fact, the more willing you are to update your understanding, the more resilient and grounded you become.
Certainty feels safe.
But curiosity is what actually sets us free.
And the more conscious we become, the less threatened we are by being wrong — because we understand that being wrong is not failure… it is refinement.
It is growth.
It is awakening in motion.
⸻
Closing Reflection
Your feelings deserve compassion.
Your experiences deserve respect.
But truth deserves honesty.
We can honor our inner world without demanding that reality reshape itself around our emotions. And we can protect our sensitivity without sacrificing our relationship with truth.
Because awakening is not about being right —
it is about being real, being humble, and being willing to grow.
And in a world that is becoming increasingly attached to certainty, choosing curiosity is a radical act of consciousness.
Add comment
Comments