The Truth

I have a favorite Jason Aldean song, that came out a long time back, called “The Truth” and it’s about a guy who is still very hung up on a woman, and he doesn’t want his friends to tell her the truth that he is. A couple of the lines are:

Tell ’em anything you want to…. just don’t tell ’em all the truth.

The truth is I’m asking you to lie, and we both know it ain’t right…

But if you ever loved me, have some mercy on me. Tell ’em anything you want to…

Just don’t tell ’em the truth.

A love relationship is often ruined by lies. By coverups. By keeping secrets. Yet, the guy in this song is so desperate he wants his friends to lie for him.

Lies are told when people are afraid, or embarrassed, or they want to look good to someone else. And if you grew up like me, you learned at an early age that your lies will get you in the end. It’s really, really hard to keep a lie going. Eventually, yes, sooner or later, the lie will catch up with you. At that point trust is gone. Other’s faith in you is gone. And, finding a reason to believe in a person is difficult.

Well, you probably know where this is going…

Not telling the truth in relationships is deadly. Lies between two people will end it. And, not telling the truth in politics should be also. If you know that a politician has told lies over and over, and then covers up the lies with more lies, and uses people to help keep the lies going – they will eventually be found out. But, in today’s political arena getting caught in lies is a one day news story and doesn’t seem to cause deadly damage to the politician, We hear “they all do it.” “It’s how they campaign.” “They lie to constituents just to get their vote.” We RARELY hear of a ‘truthful politician,’ one who keeps his word, and honors the pledges he or she makes on the campaign trail.

Years ago Stephen Colbert coined the word “truthiness” – his definition: The belief in what you feel to be true rather than what the facts will support.” He wrote “Truthiness its tearing our country apart. It doesn’t seem to matter what the facts are. It used to be that everyone was entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Facts matter not at all now. Perception is everything.”

Stephen’s word “Truthiness” and the definition ring in my head today as I get ready to turn the TV on at 1:00pm to watch the last January 6th Committee hearing.

Too many Americans don’t want to hear facts, and they do not want their perception, their belief, to be changed. They do not want to confront lies. They have already lost trust in truth. They only want to accept what makes them feel good. They will not turn the TV on and watch.

In the justice system facts are everything. Jurists are told to only accept direct facts and testimony, given under oath – and all the witnesses are to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. If a person on the stand is caught lying they can go to jail. TRUTH MATTERS!!

I believe it still does.

I learned long ago that I can not live with myself if I purposely tell lies. I would not be the type of person I want to be. I would not have good relationships. I would not be a believable person. And, thankfully, I’m a bad liar – and if I try to lie it eats away at me. To know me is to get the truth. And – It’s a lot easier to live a truthful life.

The events that happened on January 6th, and the involvement of our president, are facts. There is no doubt. There has been months of truthful testimony, and stacks of documents that show of the planning of an insurrection, the details of the day, AND how some tried to coverup their ties to it afterwards. The whole “Great Lie” of Biden not winning the presidential election has been a mountain high of lies, from voting machines not working, to getting alternative Electoral voters. It’s insanity to me to NOT see the truth.

The truth matters. In politics. In relationships. In life.