FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Would You Risk It All to Stay True?

Would you be true to yourself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than be false and incur your own abhorrence? When I was in secondary school, I had a notebook where I wrote down words of wisdom I came across in newspaper columns my father brought home. My father was an avid newspaper reader, so he bought the papers everyday, especially Punch and Daily Sun. The weekend editions were my favourites. They were packed with stories, fashion insights, cartoons, puzzles, and columns labeled Words on Marble or Food for Thought. I don’t know exactly why I started jotting those words down, but something about them always made me pause and reflect, even as a teenager. Fun Fact: I still have that note till today and it’s been almost two decades since I left secondary school. I know it’s somewhere in my locker. One very peculiar thing is how I have had this particular quote in my head since I was in secondary school till this moment. I have never had to look in that note to remember it. It stuck in my mind, etched there like it was written in stone. It was a statement by Frederick Douglass, though I’ve often rephrased it as a question. “I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false and incur my own abhorrence.” - Frederick Douglass As an adult, this quote feels even more profound. It’s a call to authenticity, to stay rooted in one’s convictions, even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular. It reminds me that betraying yourself, your values, your beliefs, is a far greater loss than enduring the judgment or rejection of others. Yet, here we are today, in a world where standing firm in one’s convictions has become an uphill battle. Everyone wants to be accepted, to belong, to avoid conflict or ridicule. Many people try to “have their cake and eat it too,” balancing personal beliefs with the need for social approval. The result? Compromises, half-truths, and a growing sense of disconnection from who we truly are. But what happens when the cost of fitting in outweighs the peace of living authentically? So, I’ll ask again: Would you be true to yourself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than be false and incur your own abhorrence?

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