The Pleasure of Truth: Why We Write
Article originally published through Doorway Publishing
Always slipping from my hands
Sand’s a time of its own
Take your seaside arms and write the next line
Oh, I want the truth to be known
Ah ha ha ha ha
I know this much is true
Ah ha ha ha ha
I know this much is true
— True by Spandau Ballet
People say ‘the truth hurts’ but is there also pleasure to be found in stating a true thing? Is there a sense of gratification that comes with discovering truth? Is this why confession is considered good for the soul? Is it your inner-being crying out for the freedom that comes from no longer living a lie? Though sometimes painful in the moment, does truth ultimately bring one relief? As John 8:32 famously states, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Perhaps that is why a person called to write is so compelled to pursue their craft. It is one of the most effective ways we can truly plumb the depths of our soul to understand the nature of reality, even absolving us from our own self-deception. It forces us to look in a mirror and see life as it truly is, not merely the way we wish it to be. It’s an ugly process, and yet, it feels so good.
I think we were made to respond to Truth. Truth is what establishes sanity in this mad, mad, mad, mad world. It helps us come to our senses when tempted to subscribe to all that is nonsense. And let’s face it, there is a lot of nonsense. It rots the soul because, without truth, the waters become increasingly dark and murky until you no longer know the way of escape. The warm inviting sun of truth has been blotted out before your very eyes, and often by your own doing.
It’s very similar to what most of us have experienced in our personal relationships. I have found myself in situations that in an effort to avoid conflict, one or more parties begin sweeping major problems under the rug. It seems like a good idea at the time, because peace is a worthy pursuit, but in doing so we achieved no such thing. As we deceived our loved one by pretending all is well, those issues accumulated, and the relationship became more tense over time. Meanwhile, the reasons for it become increasingly unclear. So, you spend inordinate amounts of time trying to wade through the muck to find some explanation that satisfies, but by then it’s just too convoluted and the misunderstandings too great to make sense of it all.
The only hope in such situations is to have it out. That might require many long nights sorting through the mess, but truth is the only solution to the madness. Yes, it is painful at the time, but soon comes the afterglow, because no matter the outcome, there is a great sense of relief that comes from dispelling the cloud of confusion. You can now move forward with clarity and a plan to avoid repeating the mistake. But all of this could have been avoided if the truth had been confronted in the first place.
So, our job as writers is to have it out! With ourselves first, and then the reader. Because when swept under the rug, there is no end to the tangled web of deceit we can find ourselves under. I once heard a wise man ask, “How many ways can you draw a squiggly line? How many ways can you draw a straight line?” the answer is evident and a perfect analogy for how clean, pure, and simple truth is.
As writers, it is our noblest enterprise to draw straight lines. We do it through storytelling, we do it through engaging the mind in philosophical thought. When you read something magnificently true, something in the soul leaps within the confines of our earthly bodies and is delighted. There are so many ways to get a dopamine rush, but like the ding of a text notice, many times it quickly fades before we need another fix, but the high found in truth is long-lasting, eternal even.
So how do writers know that they are truly on this great quest and reaching their destination? The simple answer — truth never contradicts reality. God is not the author of confusion and will not establish anything against His own nature. If you are honest in your pursuit of truth you can hold that thing — that thought, that idea — up to the light to look for the flaws and find none. Truth brings clarity like the purest diamond — it holds up under the intense scrutiny of the most powerful microscope and reflects the light of God.
And in that way, a writer can bring incredible joy to others. In sharing our own encounter with the truth, we can help it spread like wildfire, awakening other souls that have gotten a little murky. But first, we must be honest with ourselves.
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
— John 14:16-17
