When lying becomes prolific, it’s hard to believe anything is true. Believing is the operative concept here — a function of trust. If a person cannot be trusted, it’s hard to believe anything they say. When we say, "I don’t believe you", we’re essentially saying "I can’t trust you". Though we will never do it perfectly consistently, we have to be committed to telling the truth.
We have to admit that we only ever see portions of the truth. In other words, none of us is a repository of all truth. Each of us participates with the broader concept of truth, but always in a limited way. This is not particularly a disadvantage. It acknowledges our right size relative to truth (we are not God...thankfully). The beauty of this design is that it is the pooling of each of our limited perspectives of what is true that reveals the reality of that greater truth. We are meant to come together to both share our truth and to share each other‘s truth. This is, in fact, what makes truth one. And so, by acknowledging our individual imitations, a key ingredient to seeking the truth is our interest and openness in finding it, in discovering it, and looking for it. This commitment needs to be a shared one for it to work well.
And this commitment also includes discipline with regard to things like lying, the intentional distortion of truth. We must uphold the long-term value of telling the truth over the short-term advantage of lying.
Lying is a contagion when it is normalized. When lying is viewed without morality — merely as a means to an end — it spreads both widely and deeply. Our, otherwise constructive, energy is siphoned off to combat the forces of lying. It is really a misuse of our energy that could be applied to the perpetuation of the ideals of truth. Further, it is challenging (to say the least) not to become suspicious; not only of the liar, but of anyone who associates with a liar…and their unwillingness to see or find truth. This is, among other things, the insidiousness of it, as it disempowers the forces of energy for both the purposes and benefits of truth.
The collective has to win the battle for truth. And, that is achieved by the personal commitment to seeking and telling...the truth.
