To Tell The Truth

This is not about art or dreams. This is about love. About telling the truth, sharing our lives with those we care about. This is about having the courage to tell the truth. Even if it hurts. Even if it's "inconvenient."

Telling the truth connects us. Withholding the truth separates us.

I just learned that someone close to me has been diagnosed with cancer. This is important information. This is the kind of information that causes a family to rally together. To become a team. My sister told me about it. My parents did not. I am not surprised. But, I am sad.

I am sad because this is the norm in my family. It is normal, when something upsetting occurs, to conceal this information. Everything goes into lockdown. Privacy, I'm sure, is cited as the reason. 'We didn't want you to get upset', another reason. I don't think my family is unique in this respect. Why are emotions so fearful? Why is "being strong" equivalent to repressing natural emotional response?

These are the messages most of us grew up with. Emotions are not okay. Fear is not okay. (You are not okay.) Do you not see how hurtful messages like this are? How this leads to us living false lives of total confusion?

No wonder the journey back has been so damn hard. No wonder being an artist is scary – being an artist is about telling the truth! Connecting and expressing emotion. Imagine watching a film where all the characters 'put on a brave face' and 'keep it together' and 'stay strong' in the face of adversity. Imagine reading a book where everything was 'fine' all the time.

Maybe this is about art.

Please. Tell the truth. Have the courage to be honest. Holding back the truth, holding back emotion...this is the cancer. No one, no family is perfect. Everyone on this planet has experienced hurt and shame and pain. It is part of the human experience. People love, people lose, people get sick, people die, people take their own lives, take each other's, break each others' hearts. People are cruel, kind, selfish, generous, loving, hateful. We are all of these things. All of us. Accept this. It's okay. It's okay to be human. And all that being human means. We are all capable of every human emotion and every human trait.

The more we hide our humanness. The more we conceal the truth. The more we lie to ourselves and to others...the more damage we do to this world. Consider this. If we loved all the parts of ourselves, our families, our lives – no matter how 'attractive' these parts were – how would that translate into the rest of the world? If unconditional love was how we treated ourselves and others.

I don't give a Paris sewer rat's ass if this sounds like Hallmark hippy woo woo shit. This is how we heal the planet.

My grandfather once said: "Be brave and love each other." This is probably not what he meant, but they are wise words nonetheless. Be brave. Tell the truth. Be honest with yourself and with each other. Love yourself. Love each other. Love the parts of you that you have hated. That you have pushed down into the darkest corners. Nurture them. Shine light on them. Shine the light.