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Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Nothing but the truth
By Henrylito D. Tacio
Regarding Henry
"A LIE is the refuge of weakness," said J.C. Macaulay.
"The man of courage is not afraid of the truth."
To which American president Abraham Lincoln added: "No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar."
"With lies you may go ahead in the world--but you can never go back," a Russian proverb said so.
On the other side of the coin is truth. "Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks, and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks," Phillips Brooks points out.
Winston Churchill quips: "Truth is incontrovertible. Panic may resent it; ignorance may deride it; malice may distort it; but there it is." Hello, hello?
Robert A. Cook advises: "Always tell the truth. Then you don't have to worry about what you said last." Is someone out there listening?
Barry Stevens, paraphrasing the Holy Bible, stated: "The truth shall make you free, but first it shall make you miserable."
Franklin P. Jones dismissed it frankly: "Of course the truth hurts. You would too, if you got kicked around so much."
As if talking to the Filipino people, Sylvanus and Evelyn Duvall said: "Sometimes the kindest thing you can do for a person is to tell him a truth that will prove very painful. But in so doing, you may have saved him from serious harm or even greater pain. In a word such as ours, people must learn to 'take it.' A painless world is not necessarily a good world."
Virginia R. Mollenkott suggests, "The more serious I am about reality, the more I have to remind myself that when I recognize some aspect of truth in the words of my bitterest opponents, I must concede the truth."
Politicians probably know this statement from Carl Riblet Jr.: "In Washington, there are three kinds of truths--truth that must be hidden because of fear, truth that must be saved for the right moment, and truth that is leaked."
"Telling the truth isn't always easy; that's one of the reasons people lie--it's easier at that moment than telling the truth," Bill Vossler wrote in his article, "12 Reasons to Tell the Truth."
Allow me to quote some passages from Vossler's article:
1. Truth is right. "Lying is wrong," he said. "It's that simple. Always every culture and religious system recognize and teach this moral truth."
2. Lies will come back to haunt you. "You can't hide from your lies; you can sweep them under the rug for a while, but in an hour, a day, a month, or a year, they will wiggle back out on the floor into daylight for everyone to see."
3. Lies weigh you down. If you lie to someone, you feel bad. You wonder what he knows and whether he'll confront you or not. "In a way, you become a fugitive, running from the lie you told."
4. Lies prevent you from developing as a person. "You might easily spend time, energy, and worry on lies instead of concentrating on friendship, learning, joy and having fun."
5. Truth enhances your reputation. "If you work hard at telling the truth, other people will notice. They will also respect you for it, because they know how difficult telling the truth can sometimes be."
6. Truth will make true friends for you. "Friendship is built on shared interests, caring for each other, and honesty, or telling the truth, among other things."
7. In truth, you will feel better about yourself. "Truth is gentle, healing sponge that keeps your conscience clean and spotless, and you happy."
8. Truth makes you a better person. "If you choose to tell lies, then you will probably begin to choose other wrong directions in life."
9. One truth-telling makes the next one easier. "Telling the truth requires practice. Each truth-telling strengthens you for doing the right and truthful thing the next time."
10. Your truth makes it easier for others to tell the truth. "Your being truthful makes it easier for others to be truthful with you, and it is through knowing these truths that you can make changes to accomplish many of the things you want to accomplish in life."
11. You'll be different. "Truth-tellers are few and far between."
12. You have to live with yourself. "Because of being human, everyone falls short of always telling the truth. But if you try hard, and are gentle and kind and caring when telling the truth, you'll gain friends, fame, and riches in your personal life that you can't now imagine."
"There is nothing covered that will not be uncovered, and nothing hidden that will not be known. What I am telling you in the dark, you must speak in the light. What you hear in private, proclaim in the housetops." (Matthew 10:26-33)
For feedback, write me at tasyo2002@yahoo.com
For Bisaya stories from Davao. Click here. (June 22, 2005 issue)
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