"With a Conscience" - "Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!"

 

            Growing up, probably the worst thing you could do is lie.  Seriously.  If I got caught in a lie, I heard about from everyone.  My mother, my sisters were never amused.  "No, I didn't wear your sweater sis, really!" Um...yes, yes I did.  I was never good at lying. No one ever believed me when I lied.  Maybe it was the look on my face that gave me up, I don't know and frankly, it didn't matter. I was taught not to lie but tell the truth of the matter. I learned to tell the truth because I did not want to  hurt or disappoint anyone and in particular, those I loved.  

        Now, this lends a discussion to the use of "white lies."  Do we lie to spare someone's feelings?  Do we lie so we don't have to explain ourselves further? Or do we make a choice to hide from the truth because the truth may be more painful?  I really have no idea but what I do know is that I would prefer that someone tell me the truth rather than let me believe an otherwise disappointing situation.  The truth hurts.  That's a fact.  We have to digest the honesty. We expect honesty from those we love.  We expect honesty from our friends.  Lately, as I listen to the news or read the news, honesty becomes the ultimate dilemma.   

        Are we hearing the truth?  Are we getting the truth or are we being blantantly lied to for the sake of those who have more political advantage and more money than any of us will?   Our ability to reason and our ability to remain educated separates us from making fools of ourselves.  The more educated we become, the more effective we can be when we vote, when we discuss senstive issues and when we approach those we love with an issue that needs to be solved.  

        None of us like a lie.  We don't expect lies to come our way.  For me, tell me if the outfit makes me look fat.  Tell me if you disagree with my politics.  We can argue.  Truth builds comfort with those we love regardless of politics.  We are allowed our opinions and our beliefs but if we can listen, we might just learn more than what was expected...or not.  But the point is we listened.  Our beliefs stem from the values we grew up with, nothing less.  There lies the real truth.

        In politics, in the media, don't lie to us.  Do not taint the truth but tell us the truth and let us discern our votes, our opinions from there.  We do not need lies.  We are more than capable of making intelligent decisions based on facts.  My parents always wanted have me tell the truth and there were consequences if I didn't.  There is a price to pay for not leading a life with honesty.  We know when the truth is not apparent.  We also know when it is and this is how we grow.  This is how we change.

    Here endeth the lesson...