We’re all raised to tell the truth which is ‘a good thing’. Yet we also know that one person’s truth is another person’s ridiculous idea, and that finding the truth is becoming incredibly difficult to do.
The problem we have nowadays is the level of communication and connection available to us, where the world and it’s brother have an opinion, so called experts disagree (Covid, climate change), and the camera can be made to lie.
Add to that the media and political complications, the companies butt covering, the lies being told for our money and our vote, and you can see that we’re in a very noisy space where if there is a truth we’d be lucky to hear it.
Throw in AI pretending to be us, and start praying for deliverance.
Us AND Them
From:
Much as the general public point to politicians and feel we’re so much more noble, there’s a ‘truth?’ that maybe needs to be faced. We’re not.
We don’t trust politicians one iota, yet are happy to ‘embroider’ the truth ourselves.
To the all too familiar:
This house has plenty of character but needs a little work (it’s knackered from the rafters to the floor supports and your nearest neighbours are woodworm. Plus next door tutors a marching band in the back garden at 8 am every Sunday morning, and the other neighbour plays the drums for a living).
The inexplicable:
Trust us we’re the police.
The unforgivable:
Do not report the fact that as a consultant obstetrician you’re concerned about the number of babies dying on your unit for reasons that make no medical sense. It might make us look bad.
And way beyond all that:
We’re only parking our tanks on your border because the view is beautiful. Okay so this is a politician, but even so we sat there and acted helpless, where parking a few tanks opposite and offering to share our picnic may have helped.
In truth:
The general public are deeply involved in the creation of opportunities to trust nothing and no one.
Define truth
Our personal truth isn’t true for everyone, and of course truth is influenced by beliefs.
Politics is a good example. Labour will give money to the poor, which rarely actually makes much difference.
The Conservatives will take care of the rich, also largely untrue. The rich take care of themselves despite the input of various governments over many decades. That’s not a criticism, they’re wealthy because they make, and take care of their money, thus they take care of themselves.
These polarised political beliefs are a perfect example of how the truth is often simply a belief or opinion. We see this in action over and over again, and still do what we’ve always done and get what we’ve always got.
Trust what you see over what you believe.
Speaking of lying politicians
Brexit will stop migration?
It actually fascinates me that Cameron told the truth about that and a good few other things, and no one’s said sorry yet. There’s no Turkish flag outside the EU Parliament. And as Obama said, you’ll be last in the queue for a trade deal, wasn’t that the truth. No one has apologised to him either.
Sometimes they can be believed. Odd really. Perhaps the ‘we’re only human’ clause even covers politicians? They get our vote by saying what we want to hear.
The problem with truth is also that we refuse to believe each other even when the truth is being told. We’re suspicious, untrusting, and far too many are untruthful but the reasons are ‘good’. White lies do count.
Solutions?
There is actually an answer to this problem but it would be long term and require millions upon billions of people to stop being scared.
Everything bad comes from fear
Everything good comes from love.
That’s the solution.
I can’t tell you how we stop being scared though. How we put a stop to hate. How we graduate to a place where respect is automatic, and hate is only read of in history books. Where prejudice seems too ridiculous for words.
I can tell you that we must find a way.
In the meantime, perhaps we can help the world by being more courteously, kindly, respectfully honest. By making sure we understand the entire picture and all parties involved, before we share our feelings.
“I hate your guts” could become “What’s wrong with me that I have the capacity to hate?”
“You’re an idiot” could become “could you take me through your thinking and explain why you did that?” Followed by “ah, I see where you were coming from but this is what I can share…”
We could also stop thinking and start asking.
Those are my words my way of course, and hands up, it doesn’t always work. Perhaps you are be one of those amazing people who is trying your own way to be a force for happiness in this world? If you are, please don’t change.
Because I honestly believe I’m far from being in the minority in wanting this world to change, that there are millions of us out there who see this and feel as lost and bewildered as I do.
How do you change such a violent world where too many people are suffering for far too many reasons?
I can only think of one step, one person, at a time, and don’t stop.
If we try to be honest in a good way, and one more person tries because of us, and one other because of them. We have hope.
The only human truth
Let’s start here.
To a loving, trusting, respectful, world. For all.
Deb xx
Deb Hawken - Amorah 