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This episode of Living Myth focuses on the significance of the moment following the reading of the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial. As his tragic death became a worldwide symbol of injustice, the issue was always going to be whether the agonizing truth of what we could see with our own eyes would be acknowledged and validated by the jury and the court.
The word verdict comes from Latin roots that literally mean “to speak or tell the truth.” In that sense, each truth telling verdict stands as an antidote to the plague of Big Lies that callously and cynically pervade so much of our political and cultural lives.
Upon hearing the verdict, we become witnesses again; but this time we are witnesses to the truth being told and justice being, at least partially, served. Although it is not the end of the story, it is vitally important not to miss the meaning of such a moment of truth.
More than a matter of simple relief, a moment of truth can be a kind of medicine. Although not a complete remedy, each moment of truth stops the bleeding and can bring a sorely needed sense of healing. To heal means to “make whole again,” so that each moment can make us more whole as people and as the human community. If we don't stop long enough to take in the medicine, we miss out on the healing value of truth telling.
It doesn't mean that more tragedies won't occur, they already have. Yet, healing is also a revolutionary act, the kind that makes it more possible to stay in the long struggle for greater truth and justice. We need to hold onto the moments of truth and healing because they contain little acts of redemption that renew our sense of trust in ourselves, in each other, and in the deepest sense of human community.
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