We all search for it and we expect nothing less from others regardless of how much we actually speak it. Truth is a word that has given everyone trouble since words were created. If we look through history, the truth or lack of truth, has won wars, saved people, killed people and everything in between. In everyone’s life we have a daily choice to tell the truth, listen to the truth, or lie through our teeth. At times we all decide to do each option, but the truth is one of the hardest decisions to make.
The definition of truth according to www.thefreeonlinedictionary.com is “Conformity to fact or actuality”. There must be more to it than that. If truth is truly that simple why is it so hard to follow? Even courts have to explain, to the testifying party, to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. After it is pointed out to you, the truth seems very vague. Every word someone says could be the truth; they could just leave some of it out. They could also say some things that are true and some things that aren’t. No one ever says don’t lie, they just tell you to “tell the truth”. The truth is more of an idea. It is the idea that when you say something someone else could quote it and not sound dumb. I hear people all the time that quote things other people say. Then someone points out something that is incorrect about the statement, and immediately the quoting person blames the quoted person and they both seem dumb.
We’ve all experienced a time when we didn’t tell the truth and it weighed on us until, finally, we confessed. It’s like that time when you broke your mom’s favorite vase. I realize not everyone’s mom has a favorite vase, and I also realize not everyone has broken their mom’s favorite vase but I’m sure you can relate. You might try to hide it, or blame it on the dog, but it weighs on you. Day in and day out you see where that vase was and remember what you did. Eventually you just have to confess. Most of the time, in my experience, your mom already knew what you did and she decided to let you punish yourself. The entire time you where keeping something from her that she already knew, and it was eating away at you. Really, in life, the truth is always the better option even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.
The truth has an immense history in terms of politics. So many wars where fought because of people not telling the truth, or preventing others from telling the truth. During the beginning of WW1 the U.S.A remained neutral. We traded with both the Allies, (Great Britain, France ect.) and the Central Powers (Germany, Russia ect.). Everything was fine and dandy until Great Britain cut the communications between Germany and the U.S.A. They also started feeding false information to the U.S.A. This along with our previous ties to Great Britain came together to force the U.S.A. into the war. The truth also has a more current relevance. We just had the senatorial elections and we have all seen the commercials. They go on and on about how the political decisions of their oppositions past will make them a bad senator. We all know that half of the things these commercials say, if not more, are lies. They will say anything to get our votes, or to prevent their opponent from getting our votes.
From your mom’s vase to international espionage, the truth has defined the way we, as Americans, do things. Everyone preaches about how we should only tell the truth. Then they go and lie to us, which in turn undermines their entire argument. Regardless of their ability to practice what they preach, we should all tell the truth. It not only weighs lighter on our consciences it is also the moral thing to do, and that’s the truth.
Works cited
Search Results for "thefreeonlinedictionary.com" Web. 03 Mar. 2011. <http://www.thefreeonlinedictionary.com/>.
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