May 2, 2002
When is a lie preferable to the truth? This is a question that people have wrestled with for eons. Here’s the short answer: Never. To expand: Say I have cancer and I’m gonna die. Is it more humane to keep this information to myself so that everyone can enjoy my good health & then spring it one afternoon at a barbecue when the illness becomes apparent? Or is it better to speak up and deal with the issue up front?
As a true bohemian (J), I believe in the absolute nature of Truth. Not Bill Clinton truth (“it depends on what your definition of the word is, is”), but Truth with a Big T. It ranks right up there with the other two ideals. I didn’t come to this philosophy easily or quickly, but like most of my basic precepts, this one defines who I am. Luckily, I have found someone that understands and agrees with me on this issue. In the case of my example above, while the non-disclosure can make the present more enjoyable, the later revelation that there was a secret withheld causes everything that came before to be called into question. The issue still needs to be dealt with, but now there is the complication of deception added to the equation.
Does this mean that it’s always easy to live by these ideals? No, of course not. I’ve done my share of lying, both of the big and small varieties. Lying is easier, faster and most of the time, more convenient. Unfortunately, as I’ve found, most lies come back to bite you later in one form or another. The lie itself may go undetected, but karmicly (sp?) all things require balance. Truth is hard – it forces you to work, to look closely at yourself. Sometimes I find out that I’ve been lying to myself on a subconscious level about my own motivations – just to make my own life easier. Heck, our emotions sometimes get the better of all of us.
I know some Absolute Truths. These are the things I base my entire life upon. I stand upon these Truths as my foundation, my Earth.
Sometimes the ground shakes, but I will stand firm.
