Staying “True” (Rester “Vrai” in French):

It’s probably one of the most important things in life.
How can we be ourselves if we are untrue to ourselves and to others around us?

Staying true, and also staying in the truth, is likely a way to avoid “Artifice”, helping to remove our “poker face” and to remain natural despite problems such as high stress and responsibility.

Avoiding masks and protective suits, trying to show ourselves as we are; Like Gloria Gaynor’s song, “I’m What I Am,” or the grunge rock band Nirvana’s “Come As You Are.”

It’s difficult to maintain this goal constantly because it is idealistic…

An expression someone told me one day:

“In Car by night I grill all Red Signals…
But if I Get Caught ! I say the Truth…”

The book Our Body, Our Truth by David Servan-Schreiber also reminds us of the importance of taking care of ourselves to maintain compassion and empathy for others, helping to nurture this virtuous cycle for both our own health and that of others.

Another book by David Servan-Schreiber, We Can Say Goodbye Multiple Times, explores the complexity of life, where situations sometimes feel strange or broken. Even if we want to stay in the truth constantly, “it’s never perfect.”

“Being untrue” may mean “playing a role,” like an actor performing different characters and styles. But when we go to the theatre, acting is a proper job: actors focus on their roles during the play, and as soon as they leave the stage, they remove their costumes and makeup to return to their real lives. It is not possible to play a role constantly.

Sometimes, we might have to act, for example, during funerals, to cover emotions or things that cannot be expressed openly.

There are many situations like this; Things that cannot be said in a normal way. It’s very difficult to be constantly true; staying in sadness is hard. Sometimes, we all need to hide behind sunglasses to stay true, humble, and respectful. It is complex but important.

Sometimes we say, “There is a time for everything.”

Returning to funerals, we go through many different emotional states and cannot simply skip certain moments. (In management, this is sometimes called the “death acceptance curve.”) All emotional states have their importance, and you cannot switch from sadness to happiness; or vice versa; so easily.

Abd Al Malik expresses this well in his song Valentin, saying, “In Africa, we are singing and dancing when it’s the end.“

Staying true also means being ourselves while considering context and world influences. (At funerals, it is also a moment to celebrate, even if that may seem contradictory.)

“Tell It Like it Is”

Giving feedback can be a way to express what we see or highlight what we find interesting. It involves opening ourselves with openness, accepting things as they are, and reacting according to our own character and true selves. It’s a balance between taking things seriously and not being constantly serious. This approach helps keep attention on what truly matters and helps everyone stay grounded.

Did you know that children like coherence? Why? Because they like to feel safe—it helps them rely on reality and understand what is happening around them. On this topic, children do not understand irony and often think people are laughing at them, so they do not respond well to it.

Irony is the opposite of being true because it is generally a form of playfulness. While it can be fun sometimes, it is not recommended when communicating with children.

Depression can greatly affect our mood and how we perceive life, including our ability to stay connected to reality.

Our ability to stay true sometimes depends on our mood. If we are feeling stressed, mindfulness teachers often give advice to help.

For example, simply placing both hands in a bucket of cold iced water can help us realize if we are depressed or stressed. When depressed, we may not be able to keep our hands in the cold water, whereas if we feel happy and relaxed, we can keep them submerged without difficulty.

The reason is that when we feel depressed, our nervous system becomes overly sensitive because our nerve and synapse connections are constantly affected. It’s like becoming over-sensitive without being able to control it. Our brain becomes much more sensitive compared to when we feel fine.

Another example is shopping: all the stimuli; Lights, advertisements, sounds; constantly bombard our emotional brain. This stimulation causes our emotions to fluctuate more than when we are calmly reading a book.

The same happens when we feel depressed: our brain experiences much more emotional ups and downs than when we are calm and relaxed.

The emotional part of our brain becomes more dominant compared to our logical brain, which affects our mood. At these times, we generally cannot feel mentally well or stay true to others because we are in a constant state of emotional overwhelm.

Life can be hard depending on our circumstances. Whether we are millionaires or very poor, we all have the possibility of feeling unwell one day.

When we move down the social ladder regarding “social class” and “wealth,” it is generally harder to feel comfortable.

Poor people are often the most exposed to problems with education, environmental exposure, access to healthcare, and social context issues. Mathematically, poor people; because of their context; are generally more affected by depressive disorders compared to those in higher social classes.

Higher social classes have better options and more flexibility in life, which allows them to change their situations. This is a fact.

This brings our attention to the concept of “Context,” which can be social, marital, familial, or environmental. “Context is always stronger than the concept” as MC Solaar mentions. “Depending on the context, we can mix Strengths and Weaknesses” as Abd Al Malik states.
The TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air also highlights this question.

Someone who is rich will not approach problems the same way in a difficult, poor environment, and vice versa—someone who is poor will not approach problems the same way in a high-standard environment.

But all this helps us understand that whatever our social class background, we all face difficulties and struggles for health, life, truth, fighting sickness, and caring for the planet.

We all play a role in society because it is a win-win for everyone.

Despite the historical and economic context surrounding this issue, we all have an interest in helping the people around us with their own difficulties.

Finally, when you understand this, it allows you to see that one of the biggest problems in society is “ignorance,” as also explained by MC Solaar in the song “La concubine de l’hémoglobine“. Ignorance is the root of every problem.

As you can find in the Bible and in The Seven Capital Sins, some say the worst sin is jealousy because it is the root of all other sins.

Helping those around us can improve their well-being, and it can also help ourselves feel better.

Helping the poor social class also mathematically helps the richest class. This is no longer simply a problem of “class.”

There is no reason to wait. There will always be things to do; after that, we can do something else.

An open society is in everyone’s interest. The truth is to realize we are all together as human beings, protected by an open society, by our legal system, and by human rights.