I often see how certain religious and political groups in this country have divorced themselves from caring about the truth. To get what they want, they’re glad to support various politicians, pundits and newscasters as long as they gain the power to influence the policy or culture. You may think I’m talking about the ‘political or religious conservatives’ but, I see similar things going on with progressives and the liberal media.
Lies and fear go hand-in-hand in an attempt to control Reality . We can watch people in politics, the media, banking, finance, etc. lie and attempt to control people who listen to them. The people speaking the lies will feel fear (unless they’re sociopaths or psychopaths), as will the people listening to them and believing them without proof. False assumptions and statements always lead to an adrenal response: fight or flight. In the long run, though, Reality always wins. For instance, during this international coronavirus pandemic, we can wish that things were already better, that the virus has peaked, and that we can go back to our normal lives with no consequences but, Reality will win. If we attempt to pretend everything is ‘normal,’ many more people will die. Reality, the reality of the nature of SARS-Cov2 or Covid-19 will win out over our attempts to manipulate truth.
Love and truth also go hand-in-hand. If you really want to tell the truth, you’re going to have to love someone or something enough to do it. Often telling the truth or doing something based in the truth is hard, and you think it will get you in trouble: so your heart trembles, your body shakes, your adrenal glands suffuse your body with terror and you end up ‘shaking in your shoes.’ This is where it’s useful to check your assumptions: do you really know how people will respond or how the story will play out? No you don’t. Your fear is based on a lie.
However, once the fear is generated, even by a false thought, it’s good to invoke a little courage while the adrenaline is still strong. Take the lie apart and then grow some courage. The word ‘courage’ comes from the French, rage de coeur, or literally ‘rage of the heart.’ And what is ‘rage of the heart’ but, love: a love for the Truth and a love for others that’s strong enough to stand up to your own fear, and the intimidation of others who are coming from fear themselves. You may have to pay the consequences of what speaking the truth might do to your standing among your friends, your community or your country. However, you don’t really know, do you? So invoke a little courage and speak up.
In general, if you love someone, tell them the truth. If you love yourself, be honest with yourself. However, don’t present truth without love or love without truth: either is incomplete without the other. Truth without love can be too harsh and judgmental. Love without truth can be indulgent, spoiling and can create an overarching sense of entitlement. Put both together and see how things go….you’ll find much more balance within you, and in your relationships with others.