How much strife in society would be avoided if we all told the truth? What would communal relationships look like if newspapers were forced to verify that everything they printed was absolutely true? How might we live more peaceful lives if the gutter press desisted from making up stories, completely untrue?
Unfortunately, there is little we can do about those sections of the press which thrive on controversy. Racist caricaturing is to traditional media what clickbait is to the web: it is deployed to increase revenue alone. So long as they want to sell their wares and turn a profit, they will go on appealing to their audiences’ base prejudices.
So it is left to us, as individuals, to be honest: to prioritise truthfulness in our lives. To speak the truth in representing our own lives, and all we interact with. Not to mix truth with falsehood. Not to massage the truth, or present half truths, or to utter only those truths which benefit us. But no, to make honesty central to our lives.
Even if we cannot effect society at large, at least we can impact our circles of influence. Perhaps our neighbours will come to recognise us as truthful folk. In our interactions with colleagues, perhaps we will be celebrated for being fair and just. When crisis strikes in the community, and restless youths gather to protest all that the rumour-mill convinced them to be true, the truthful can emerge to diffuse tensions.
Truthfulness is central to faith. To be truthful is mandated for all believers. Not partisanship, not taking sides, not communitarianism. But to speak the truth even against your own self. Our faith is uncompromising on that, lying held to be a sign of hypocrisy.
May God make us of those who are truthful, whose light is seen by all who encounter us. May we be of those who utter only what is true.
Last modified: 17 December 2022
