Friday, July 17, 2026
Rick Rubin, a successful record producer said in an interview that he always trusts his taste. I think he was expressing a sentiment: “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
If you understand “the LORD” is you and “him,” the last word in the sentiment, is also you, Rubin is saying the same thing. Most of us hear the words “the LORD” as some being (other than us) in the sky and “him” as a man, maybe Jesus or Muhammad, somewhere in distant history – a hand-selected individual. But if you understand the intimacy of Truth, you too can trust your tastes (and see).
Your tastes are restrictions. For example, my sexual taste is for men. I’m not ashamed of that truth, but it is a restriction. That is not to say I can’t be with women, but it would be a betrayal. I’m clear on what I prefer, and I have learned (through mistakes of self-denial) not to eat of the “forbidden fruit.”
I could “eat” women (and I’m using that word metaphorically to make a point), but like olives, I would have to force myself, and the taste would be bitter. I don’t like olives. I can eat them, if I must, but no-one is forcing me. I choose, but preference is not a choice but more like an obedience.
When my body gets sick, I don’t surrender to the sickness, I dwell in my preference for feeling well. I don’t cling, I simply remember my preference. If I’m with people I prefer not to be with, I make a light, mental note, distantly. I surrender when necessary, but dwell and trust in my preferences, always.
It’s a loose affiliation, not a “must have.”
I’m grateful how much of the time I see my preferences, exactly as I wish.
How good it is to trust my taste!