truth be told

Hi! Thanks for tuning into yet another episode of ‘fings-what-Seth-fort’.

After last weeks long missive, I thought I’d treat you to a short post today.

This is a ‘new & improved!’ version of some writing I did a while ago.

Reading over the few notes I had made about what I might write on this topic, I found myself annoyed at myself. My musings were quite academic & ostensibly ‘clever’ which, upon reflection, feels a bit dishonest.

I’m trying to write about the challenges of ‘telling the truth’. Of being honest. Of being authentic. What comes up for me? A real sense of sadness. Not sure why but feel the need to be upfront. I expel too much energy on trying to be positive sometimes, of trying to be funny, or clever, or knowledgeable, or desirable, or needed…. whatever. We probably all do I suspect, at least at times, but today it doesn’t sit right with me. I remind myself that:

First the truth will piss you off, then it will set you free.

Here are a few sentences that seemed insightful to me a while ago.

Almost without exception we are taught as children to ‘always tell the truth’. Seems like a reasonable request until you really consider the significance of such a demand. Lies, big & small, are the social lubricant that keeps the whole show on the road. Falsehoods reduce friction within society & between societies, to just about sustainable levels, thus preventing an implosion into likely chaos. I reckon deep down we know that telling the truth always, would not only mean our own demise but probably that of all those around us. Lies are vital, the truth can be dangerous.

‘The truth is rarely pure & never simple.’

- Oscar Wilde

Let’s consider a chap called Diogenes who was a Greek philosopher. Diogenes was quite the rebel who seemed to like nothing more than to do & say clever things that made those around him uncomfortable. Diogenes made a virtue of poverty. He begged for a living & often slept in a large ceramic jar, or pithos, in the marketplace on the outskirts of Athens. He rejected the concept of ‘manners’ as a lie & advocated complete truthfulness at all times & under any circumstance. Diogenes was best known for holding a lantern to the faces of the citizens of Athens claiming he was searching for an honest man. Alas, in Greece at the time, he never found one.

I wonder if Diogenes shone his lamp on those that lead our country today or want to lead our country tomorrow, would he find an honest person? What would he conclude if his light shone upon the faces of those that set the rules for our tax system, our justice system, those that determine policy on health (physical & mental) & those supposed to be charged with caring for our planet?

We desperately need competent & honest leadership right now. Our very survival as a species is at stake. We need people who will simply tell the truth. Or at least dare to move towards the truth. As I observe those with the ability to really avoid the demise of humanity, it’s apparent that who they are speaks so loudly I can't hear a word they are saying. I find myself longing that I was as sure about anything as they are about everything. My cynicism leads me to conclude that it's hard to make someone understand something when their salary depends on them not understanding. I fear that we are being misinformed by misinformed people & that they have been repeating the same lies for so long that they may now believe what they are saying.

Anyhow, this is all a bit depressing, isn’t it? I guess this is the point. The truth is often uncomfortable & has the potential to shine light onto some unpleasant realities that we tend to hide in the shadows, both as individuals & within society.

So my final take on the topic of honesty & truth?

Truth is like poetry. Most people fucking hate poetry.