Journal: Writing Assignment

Have you ever experienced a time when you believed a lie or simply lived as your false self? Repeating things that are false or living a lie can cause you to loose discernment of the truth. What can be more painful is when you loose the truth about who you are. Write at least 5 sentences about a time when you acted untrue and how you feel about it.


See the story example below:

I remember when I was younger I could not understand how women could wear their thick coily, curly hair natural in public. I actually found it careless and unkempt. As a person with extremely thick coily hair myself I would never imagine leaving the house without my hair straightened or braided. But it did not stop there I learned to feel this way about anyone who did not have the ideal hair I felt they have. I criticized thick hair, thin hair, too short hair and too long hair just not one was good enough unless they had perfect hair. I did not realize how much hate I had for my hair until I begun to expose the lies that I believed about myself and then I was able to appreciate the beauty of myself and others.

I became fascinated with hair and different textures, I realized that within my own upbringing I was viewed differently for my hair. I would hear members of my own family in dismay over having to wash my hair or calling it nappy in a negative tone. I wondered where this came from, where people that cared for me would make me feel this way. This caused me to have a huge form of self hate and honestly a hate for those like me, with high maintenance or disliked hair. It was a generational curse so much so that people would praise those in the family who had children with finer hair types.

When I did my research I realized that where I grew up it was frowned upon to have afro type hair, so much so that it was illegal for black people to wear their natural hair in public. Ideas such as this became a generational curse in my family and causes many of us to still feel the effects of African slavery mentality and discrimination even in the year 2000's. But, when I did my soul search I realized the beauty and power of my passed relatives, ancestors and those who came before me, passed down these wonderful features including my head of hair. Some of them even had strong hair just like mine. How could I be ashamed of who I am, if I am from them? I understood that the strength of their hair was a sign of health and riches both inside and out.

Since I can remember I had been straightening my hair with heat or chemicals and it was so damaging, but I took the risk because I believe the lies that it my hair made me unattractive and a hassle. I learned the truth that it made me beautiful and strong and actually afro hair is some of the most low maintenance healthy hair if left in its natural. I was 25 years old when I first saw may hair in its natural state and I loved it. For the first time I felt good about who I was and I was unashamed about being naturally me. I fell in love with a part of myself I thought was ugly and I tried to get rid of. When I learned how to embrace all of myself in every state, I also learned how to embrace all others in every state.