Gimme Some Truth

We live in a time when our country has lost its moorings due in large part to our loss of reverence for and practice of telling the truth. Facts are essential for making one’s way through life with any success. Unless you’re a con man or a thief. Then lies are what you use to get what you want, while the truth presents a danger to you.

Gloria Steinem said, “The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.” Gandhi said many great things, of course, including, “There is no god higher than truth.” Please hold that thought as you encounter the pronouncements of those who want your attention to peddle some bad idea or product.

Unless the information coming from leaders and from the media that fill the national dialogue every day is honest, accurate, and based on facts rather than merely personal preferences (or even disproven beliefs), our country, our culture, and our future will be bleak. It doesn’t have to be.

Our country has everything it needs to be economically sound and headed on a path toward a sustainable and livable future. But we’ve been living with so many lies and myths for so long now, many are believed and mistaken to be the truth, which keeps many of us spinning, dizzy, and screwing ourselves into the ground while the rich grow richer off our energy.

The myths and lies continue to be reinforced daily by people who personally benefit from them at the expense of the rest of us. We’ve had our treasury looted, our economy trashed, and our future put in jeopardy by liars and hustlers. Each one of us can help stop that downward momentum by not accepting any more of their nonsense, while making every effort to see the truth, and tell it.