THE IDES OF SEPTEMBER 2020
Aloha;
Some of us believe any information one person gives another, which is false; is automatically a lie. It doesn’t matter whether the one giving the information knows it is false or not. It doesn’t matter if the one who makes the statement believes it is true or not. Nor does it matter if the information was once accurate; but has changed without the speaker’s knowledge. The mere act of sharing the false information is enough to call what was said, a lie.
However, for most of us, a lie is an intentional attempt to deceive. As well as an deliberate effort to hide the facts as we know them. We spread lies when we speak false statements, or make impressions which we know are not true. By either standard, the information shared is not right. And when we rely on bad information, it can do us harm. So we don’t like lies; and don’t trust liars as a rule. As they undermine our ability to trust what we are told.
Therefore we value the truth; and we expect it from others. In fact, part of our society’s success stems from sharing truthful information with each other. For the sake of time and productivity, we rely on the facts people give us. Since that helps us do things quickly. And we are so interdependent now that we need to get many things done. So our success is more difficult when false data replaces the truth. Thus when we make lying one of our society’s tenets, we weaken its effectiveness.
For then we must continually test the facts we get, to assure they are correct. This problem grows when we adopt a strategy to spread lies; so that we get what we want. This can establish lying as socially acceptable and make it a legitimate cultural norm. While at the same time adopting this behavior as a viable business practice. Because when we accept lying as appropriate decorum; any statement we hear is potentially unreliable. Further, it will give more of us an incentive to lie. Our society cannot flourish under those conditions.
Vested self-interest and overall lack of trust will topple good social order. Which will leave us with something much less orderly. Yet there are some among us, who hope for this very outcome. They spread lies for a specific purpose. That goal is to generate confusion, mistrust and hatred within our societies. Their goals are their own; and we will not catalog or attempt to define them. But we must remember that they are present; and that their lies are with us.
Which makes it imperative that we speak for ourselves; and say what we really mean to say. And not let anger or impatience, color the meaning of our words. We need each other on this planet. We always have. If we will work with one another, we can get a lot done. For the betterment of human lives. If we develop reasons to hate and mistreat each other, then we will have strife and reduced potential. In the end, lies are only setbacks. It is the truth that will make us free. With that freedom we can remake the world, for the better.
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Respectfully Yours,
J. A. Stubbs, Editor-In-Chief
Forgotten Lore Publishing, llc