Your Truth

Prose 2 Minutes

Hello Fellow Traveller,

I recently finished a fascinating book by the 20th-century Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky called Concerning The Spiritual in Art.

Kandinsky was one of the pioneers of modern abstract art, and his book, first published in 1911, articulates his philosophy of art created from what he called the “inner need” of the artist rather than focused on representing the material world.

“That is beautiful which is produced by the inner need, which springs from the soul,” he wrote.

But, he added,

“This all-important spark of inner life today is at present only a spark. … Only a feeble light glimmers like a tiny star in a vast gulf of darkness. This feeble light is but a presentiment, and the soul, when it sees it, trembles in doubt whether the light is not a dream, and the gulf of darkness reality.”

I find it as hard as anyone to step into the unknown and live according to the stirrings of my soul.

There’s so often a gap between my inner truth and life as lived on a day-to-day basis.

This has made me reluctant to share a short reflection which I wrote a few years ago. But I do feel the words have some truth to them, so I’m sharing them now in the hope they’re seen as an ideal — perhaps to evolve towards — rather than a rule to live by absolutely.

I’ve titled the piece ‘Your Truth’, but it could just as easily be called ‘My Truth’.

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Your Truth

Is it true?

Is it true?

Is it true?

Is it true for you?

Is it all of you?

Is it what your soul would say if it woke up one day,
and realised it had just one more word left to say?

Would its last word be true or just an imitation of you?
Would it cut through the layers and distil the chaos?
Or would it be pleasant, perfect and nicely formed,
Well-considered for the annals on history shelves?

Surely, surely, your last word must be true,
What else is left if not the truth for you?

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Thanks for reading, and may your week be filled with meaning, truth and the beauty of art.

Jason

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Wassily Kandinsky, Composition VII, created in 1913.
Photograph: [Public Domain] Wikimedia Commons

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Published by Jason M. Deutsch

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2 thoughts on “Your Truth”

  1. A beautiful reflection Jason, about that apparent gulf between the “stirrings of our soul” and the experience of everyday life.
    Apparent, because it’s not real but imagined; a construct given substance by the habitual tendency of our minds to assert independence and hence reinforce the illusion of separateness; separation from each other and from our core Selves.
    To bridge this apparent gulf with apparent Union would be a further act of delusion.
    It is in acceptance of the “the gulf” as an essential aspect of human experience, which has as it’s sole (or soul?) purpose to maintain the quest, to amplify that stirring which moves you to reflect, to write and share your insights.
    I don’t think there needs be an ultimate answer or objective.
    The realisation of the apparent tension between Truth and illusion, acceptance of the inevitable discomfort and the ongoing enquiry and expression of our inherent goodness is enough.
    Dayenu!

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    1. Thanks for sharing such a thoughtful comment, Allan. I so appreciate you taking the time to write it.

      What you say about accepting the (apparent) gulf as an essential aspect of human experience — as much as any experience of (apparent) union — resonates with me.

      And I like to think much of humanity’s creative energy arises from the tension and discomfort you refer to.

      I wonder if Leonard Cohen’s music or Van Gogh’s art or the architectural marvels of Gaudí could exist without some striving after Truth, Unity, Beauty and Goodness?

      I don’t know for sure, but it seems to be part of the colour and story of life, as you say.

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