The Truth Will Set You Free

You have heard it said that a lie goes around the world before the truth can put pants on. I think that is true. Lies seem to spread quickly and truth has a hard time catching up.

I remember an old movie called “A Guide for The Married Man.” It was about a man giving his co-worker a series of lessons on how to cheat on one’s wife without getting caught. The final lesson was, if after all precautions, you still get caught, “Deny, Deny, Deny.”

The scene is a husband and his paramour in the bedroom when the wife comes in and finds them. They calmly get out of bed, get dressed, make the bed, and leave the room. All this time, the wife is yelling and screaming at them and they pretend she is not there.

The woman leaves the house, the husband goes to his easy chair and starts reading the paper. The wife is dumbfounded and keeps going back to the bedroom and back to her husband. She continues to cry and yell and ask questions. Over and over, “How could you do this to me?” After several times he answers, “what is it, dear?” She looks at the bedroom and back at him and asks, “what would you like for dinner?”

She assumed she did not see what she saw. The husband, in his calmness, made her think her imagination was working overtime.  You gotta watch that old movie. I saw it years ago, but I am going to find it again. There are many other hilarious scenes, but that one has stuck with me.

This came to mind when I started noticing all the changes happening in our world today. Truth and facts seem to be unnecessary requirements. Facts are stubborn things and many still seem to pretend they do not exist.

Remember our mothers told us to believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see. Mothers were right.

I read news articles and see news reports talking about this or that and I know for a fact that it is untrue. Many times, it has to do with state funding or legislative matters in which I was directly involved.

Sometimes there might be a nugget of truth but other times there is not even a grain of truth. That is most unfortunate.

The media is supposed to be an unbiased beacon of light. The job of media is to shine the light of truth so the masses can find their way. That does not appear to be the case anymore. The media appears to have chosen sides and has become the most valuable player. The side they have chosen is not necessarily the side of truth.

We live in an amazingly fast paced world. Quick sound bites and phrases are what we are fed, and we gobble them up. We must research for ourselves and find the truth and the facts. As we all know, just because it is on the internet, it is not necessarily true. And just because you heard it in a news report, does not make it true.

Always be skeptical and suspicious and search for the true facts.

There are times when the subject is not worth arguing over and one might just roll one’s eyes and let it slide. Then there are times when the lie must be confronted. A lie told often enough and left unchallenged will soon become the truth that everybody knows.

Sometimes truth is as ugly as a worn-out bar girl in the morning. No matter how ugly, truth is what it is. Painting over it, does not make it any prettier.

Ignoring the truth and facts can pave the way to some strange places. Places we likely do not want to go. Some students are even taught that there is no absolute truth. I am not sure where that came from.

There is unequivocally a truth and facts do matter. It is important that we all recognize both.

As the political season heats up, remember that much of what you hear will not be true. If it has to do with my record, contact me. I am happy to share truth and facts with you.

Seek the truth and the truth will set you free.