There are certain truths, hidden truths, the ones we sweep under the rug, the skeletons in our closets that act as the driving force behind our motives for the way we behave. These truths poke at the backs of our necks, they whisper in our ears, pulling at our puppet strings, often leading towards destinations nearly as dark as the place from which they originated.

These truths stay unseen, like snakes in the grass and often times even to our own awareness, because we rationalize them away, dressing them up until they appear as something else on the surface. Sometimes we victimize ourselves because we cannot bear the weight of the responsibility or sometimes, we even choose to be willfully ignorant of reality. 

These hidden truths are our unseen drivers, like the drivers in the car with illegal tint that every cop wants to pull over and ticket. Only if the window was to be rolled down, the sight would be enough to make one scream. Sometimes it’s our fault, and sometimes it’s not, but ultimately the responsibility to deal with these truths falls on our own reluctant shoulders.

We hide the truth because we fear the truth. Our ignorance, rationalizing, and victimization are like plates of armor that we clutch dearly for protection, and foolishly so, because the enemy is an internal one, not an outside force. We put on one plate of armor after another, like clowns donning our makeup, only to be silently killed by the poison we harbor within.

We have to shed that armor if we want to grow. We have to be brave like the warrior who is skillful enough to face the world head-on, capable of ducking and dodging challenges as they come.

Hopefully, we even evolve to the level of being adept enough to use that truth, however painful it may be, as a boldly banished weapon. Doing so, we take what pained us and use it to propel us forward, shedding the armor that weighs us down, or else let it become so heavy that it renders us incapable of taking the next step. 

The way we unburden ourselves of the cumbersome armor that shields the truth is to ask ourselves the hard questions. A staple of the eclectic method is to be a scientist, to ask questions, and that technique is most effective when directing its perceptive force at our own internal workings. 

When I think of doing a certain thing, or realize that I have been acting a certain way, especially when it goes against my values, I start investigating by asking one of the most important words in the English language: why? 

Most of the time it is due to my own fault or insecurity, and once that truth is exposed, and the pain of its reality has been experienced, I am free to move forward and do what must be done to correct the deficiencies. Once the deficiency has been resolved or eliminated, I emerge from the battle stronger, having grown and my character further developed and refined.

Choosing not to ask the question, we would be seeking refuge in our shameful armor, allowing the reluctance to bear the truth to eat away from us like a poison. It’s ironic, really, because the armor we use to protect us is only effective against an external force.

What must be done is to take that internal truth and embrace it, to transmute it into something that can be used to benefit our growth, into something that will ultimately shield us from further suffering. Once you have endured the suffering involved with facing and resolving your own inner demons, there is not much more in this world that can truly harm you.

Once the hard question is asked, the pain of reality sometimes leaves a scar, but it is survivable, and the true warriors of life bear many scars. It is not the truth they fear, what the warrior fears it is being incapable of moving forward, of being weighed down by those truths that they cannot bear to face. Sometimes those truths can become so heavy that we cannot endure battle with the enemy, defeating ourselves before the first attack is thrown.

The goal should be to be brave enough to ask the question and confront the truth, and to be strong enough to not rely on the false protection provided by rationalizing, victimizing, and willful ignorance. Strive to be strong enough to take a hit and keep going.

The ultimate goal of the eclectic method is growth, be it mentally, physically, or spiritually. How does one expect to grow if you cannot bear the responsibility of the truth? Will you be controlled by the things you cannot face, or will you take charge of your own destiny? The first step is to be courageous enough to ask the hard questions. The first question is: Can you, or won’t you?