The Truth of Truth!

What is truth?

From early childhood, all of us have been given sermons that we should be telling the truth always – not just this, we have also been given to understand that truth will always prevail! Now now, that’s a bit too much and am sure none of us ever got into believing it, which is why we held back the truth, gave a different version of it or let out its half-cousin, fibbed, or told a downright lie with impunity! We did this in the past and will continue doing this till we hear the sermon yet again and say, “Damn! Not again!” Have we wondered why? Am sure, no one had the time to find the truth about truth!

Yesterday, while driving from somewhere to nowhere I ‘got the time’ to think about it. A random set of thoughts bunched together at first and then they unraveled themselves bringing clarity to me though it was quite a foggy day for the road I drove on. Perhaps it being January 1^st too had a role to play in it for the thoughts to trickle in I guess or if not, maybe I can add it here just for the effect! As some of you would have seen: I have already in this paragraph held back, gave a different version or let out a half-cousin of truth – all of it with impunity! But, hang on there is some truth too sprinkled around – believe me! :)

Can we separate the two – the truth and the lie and its cousins from the above paragraph? Ok, that shouldn’t be very difficult: ‘nowhere’, ‘got the time’, ‘January 1^st for effect’ are examples of holding back, presenting a different version or the half-cousin of truth! Rest of it is truth – I swear it is! :)

Why did I hold back, present a different version or the half-cousin of truth? Is it because, it’s harmless, so, I could care less about it…or is it because it has become a habit?

Looking at the person’s life in different stages we can get some answers – as an infant, s/he requires attention so s/he fibs crying or does things – guess that’s the first lesson we get in the art and here we get caught mostly but we are loved back for it! So, it endorses our action and thus fibbing perhaps becomes engrained in us as a trait!

As we grow up, things get more complicated we hold back and let out different versions of lie just to get around in life. We do so throughout our lives from simple things such as putting on a fake smile, to put on make-up, to keep-up-to-date in fashion all to convey something we are not! Further, we do it in serious aspects of our lives such as we continue in love-less relationships and we hold back love because we worry about the world all too much saying constantly to ourselves “what will they say/ think?” making us weaker and weaker till we submit to the lie and make it our life! Much worse, we commit crimes, we steal, we stash black money, we do worse things humans can possibly do – just for the false sense of security or power or whatever we say to ourselves to convince self to tell that or live that lie!

As we can see, the dish of human life in different stages is made of holding back, giving a different version or letting out its half-cousin, fibbing, or telling a downright lie with proportions of truths depending upon our strength. Strength that has not been weaned away yet by our constant onslaught on us with “what will they say/ think?”

Clearly, we can lie to everyone but ourselves – so, we know our truth regardless and therefore it will prevail! It need not prevail on the world – it will prevail on us eventually! And that’s the truth! There is nowhere we can hide from it while we may hide it from every one around us. Now, we know that truth will always prevail, don’t we?

Then why?

They say, saying the truth is liberating? It is! How true! Lets just try making a small beginning this New Year – added for effect :) – say a truth to yourself first than anyone else, you will feel lighter.

Just say it and you’ll know what I mean!