Finding Truth
After I had read the truth quote by Robert Frost, I began to think about the difference between the meanings of truth and belief. In my opinion, truth is a result of a belief that has essentially moved from the head to the heart. When a belief is solely ingrained in the mind, changing that belief can be easy. For example, my belief may be that my friend is a good person. I believe that is true because this certain friend has always treated me with kindness and respect. However, if one day I see my friend taking money from my wallet, I would undoubtedly question my own belief.
Once a belief enters your heart, however, all doubts become eliminated, leaving unyielding truth. I believe this is what Robert Frost meant about not abandoning a belief just because it may no longer seem to be true. Many other people are entitled to their own beliefs, but often times this may obscure your own belief. When I was in elementary school, I desperately wanted to be on the girls’ basketball team. I shared this yearning with my group of friends, but instead of receiving words of encouragement, I was faced with ambiguity due to my short stature and Asian race. At that moment, my dream was like a fragile mirror, and I could feel the torment of glass shattering, as no one seemed to believe that I was capable of making the team.
When Robert Frost wrote, “Cling to it long enough and….it will turn true again,” I thought of two ways that I could have handled the situation. On one hand, I could have capitulated to my negative friends’ belief that I was incapable of making the girls’ basketball team. Alternatively, I could protect my hope, belief, and prove them wrong. I decided to devote myself towards the latter. For many weeks before the team tryout, I practiced for many hours shooting the ball and playing with other kids at the park. After all the sweat, scrapes on my knees from falling, and relentless hard work, my confidence grew from a flickering flame into a blazing fire. Instead of merely possessing the belief that I could make the team, I began to know that I was going to make the team. My belief had transformed into an unwavering truth. In fact, that was the moment my belief went from my head to my heart, and no matter what anyone else believed, I could not be shaken. Not only did I make the team, but I also became the team captain. It was one of the proudest and most unforgettable moments of my life.
When I read Robert Frost's quote, I too began to think about it deeply. As I read your blog, I began to think about it in a different sense, and I completely agree with your idea of truths and beliefs being different depending on whether that truth and/or belief is in your head or your heart. When a belief is in your head, you only think about it and sometimes debate to yourself whether it is a relevant belief, but once a belief is truly in your heart, you are passionate about it.
ReplyDeleteI, too, played basketball, until my senior year in high school. When I was younger I just liked playing because my siblings did. It was always in my head that I had to play basketball because they did, and I had to be good at it because they were. As I grew older and started learning more about myself, I also started learning that I did not have to play just because my siblings did. I learned that I played basketball because I had fun doing it, it was my leisure and my way to escape from the world. I became so passionate about it that in a way it became a lifestyle. Playing basketball was something I did everyday, whether I had practice or not. I came to love it, and my belief of having to play just because my siblings did left my head, and a new belief came inside my heart, that I played basketball because it was a part of me and I loved it.
There is a difference between truth and belief being in the head and heart. I never thought of it that way, but your point of view got me thinking and I agree with your opinion. If a belief is in the head, it can easily be overturned, but once its in your heart, there's no turning back.
I totally agree with you in that hard work and determination eventually leads to truth. I applaud you for your perseverance to make the girls’ basketball team. I know that sometimes discouragement from loved ones can make it hard to believe that we have what it takes to make something out of nothing. But if we hold on to that desire long enough to make something out of it, in the end, we always come up on top; we get more than what we had expected, like in your case. You became the Captain of your team. We are all capable of making anything happen when we truly and genuinely believe it because that belief is the motor that propels truth, and truth is what sets us free from constrains in our minds and hearts. I bet your girlfriends felt silly after they found out you had made the team and had become the Captain?
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