Emily Dickinson, 1263: Tell all the truth but tell it slant

     This is another one of Dickinson's poems that I really like, and this one is a little easier to read than some of her other poems (maybe that's part of the reason I like it so much?)  The speaker in "Tell all the truth but tell it slant" seems to understand that as we grow, we will learn new knowledge that can be painful at times.  And as we learn this new knowledge, it is our job to help others come into truth.  However, "The Truth must dazzle gradually / Or every man be blind -"  I've had people try to throw new truths at me that I just wasn't ready for yet, and it caused emotional turmoil.  It also caused me to deny what they said was true.  As I read this poem, I thought about it in light of spiritual growth.  I can look back at what I used to believe or where I used to be in my walk of faith and think condescendingly of myself.  But I can also look back and see that God met me where I was at and helped me to understand the truth gradually, instead of throwing things at me I wasn't ready for yet.