One of my favorite quotes is by Gloria Steinem:

I had not realized the extent of the average person’s aversion to truth, or even an attempt to seek the truth by another person, until I began sharing my opinions on social media. I know this is a thing is because of the comments on my videos in which I ask questions about various topics and then present potential answers. In one video, commenters will call me a misogynist and a “pick me.” In another video, a flurry of comments will accuse me of being a “man hating feminist.” This is in spite of the fact that my positions remain relatively consistent, but I always seek to analyze things from multiple viewpoints in search of the ultimate truth.

But no, people hate any presentation of even a possible truth that doesn’t align with their experience. Most commenters instantly dismiss me with these labels. Others offer their version of reality in attempts to disprove or debate my points.

This brings me back to my collegiate studies of “belief perseverance,” or the idea that people hold onto and defend their beliefs with ferocity, even in the face of contrary evidence. In other words, people don’t like when you challenge their beliefs, even if their beliefs are totally wrong and based on a singular experience. The truth is triggering! And why shouldn’t it be? Truths we haven’t yet experienced make us feel a certain way about ourselves and our lives. If that really is the truth, and it hasn’t been true for me, something must be wrong with me. I’ve had it wrong this whole time. It’s possible for me to have something different in my life than I have now, but I never got to have it before. It’s upsetting to be confronted with new possibilities for life when we don’t see how they could align with the only life we’ve ever known.

The beauty of it is, once you break past your aversion to alternative truth and allow new ideas to permeate your reality, you realize that you have more power than you thought. And that makes you want to seek even more truth. What else don’t I know? What other knowledge could help me make the most of my life? Truth itself becomes a worthy pursuit because you realize that yes, the truth actually does set you free. The truth sets you free from narrow-mindedness. It sets you free from the limitations of your past, most importantly. Life is limitless. Truth is infinite. Power is a mental position anyone can hold. You just have to get through the pissed-off part, and then you’ll receive a gift: the freedom that comes with accepting the truth.

The hardest pill to swallow is just a pill you’ve never swallowed before. Your hesitance to take it is normal. How can you trust something new when it’s never worked for you, even if it’s worked for other people? You don’t know what they’re talking about, because you haven’t taken the pill. Take your truth pills everyday. Get comfortable being triggered, and soon very little will trigger you. When nothing can trigger you, nothing has power over you, and you are free.