“If you have Truth on your side you can pass through the dark valley of slander, misrepresentation and abuse, undaunted, as though you wore a magic suit of mail that no bullet could enter, no arrow could pierce, You can hold your head high, toss it fearlessly and defiantly, look every man calmly and unflinchingly in the eye, as though you rode, a victorious king, returning at the head of your legions with banner waving and lances glistening, and bugles filling the air with music. You can feel the great expansive wave of moral health surging through you as the quickened blood courses through the body of him who is gladly, gloriously proud of physical health. You will know that all will come right in the end, that is must come, that error must flee before the great white light of truth, as darkness slinks away into nothingness in the presence of the sunburst. Then, with Truth as your guide, your companion, your ally, and inspiration, you tingle with the consciousness of your kinship with the Infinite and all the petty trials, sorrows and sufferings of the life fade away like temporary, harmless visions seen in a dream.” ~ William George Jordan
Perhaps the greatest benefit of aligning yourself with the truth in all things is that the truth always prevails. Countless men and women through history have sought to bypass the truth by ignoring it, twisting it for their own gain, stretching it when backed into a corner, and so on, but not one man has ever succeeded in making the truth something other than what it is.
I’ve observed that those who stray from the truth tend to place themselves in one of two camps. The first is peopled by those who have no qualms about telling complete and utter lies. Some are better at it than others, as is evidenced by the term “good liar.” The second is inhabited by those who are less scrupulous and more devious than the first. These are they who splice their lies onto the truth, the so-called “half-truths.” Those who tell half-truths to seek some personal gain are the most cowardly of liars.
The truth is one of those matters in life that are “all-or-nothing.” You either tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth or you do not. Fortunately, falsity cannot be grafted onto the truth, so any attempts to combine truth with lies eventually false apart, no matter how much energy you put into bringing the hybrid to life.
This should be a relief to anyone who has had false rumors spread about them. If another slanders you, the truth will prevail. If another misrepresents you, you can, by remaining centered in true living, reveal the reality of you. You are not at the mercy of those who dislike you, no matter how powerful or relentless they may seem. If you are with the truth, the truth is with you and remember, an ounce of truth outweighs all the falsity on earth.
One of the greatest fears children (and adults) have is that they will be misunderstood. This fear drives many to hold back from the full expression of who they are and what they believe. They would rather remain unknown and unrecognized than have something they say or do be misunderstood, misinterpreted and thrown back in their face. You can understand the hesitation when you see how awful people can be to one another, especially under the cloak of anonymity.
I would venture to say that every single person on earth has had to or will have to deal with someone who seeks to assassinate his character by cloak and dagger. The traditional response is to fire back, to pluck and “eye for a eye” and pull a “tooth for a tooth,” but how effective has that really proven to be? It may feel good for a moment, as if two wrongs somehow make a right, but such tactics divorce you instantly from the truth. Once separated, you’re on you own as you no longer are protected by the power of truth.
Let the truth be your guide. Follow truth and reason to whatever destination they take you. Place your search for truth ahead of your desire for comfort. Let the truth prevail in you and you will in turn prevail in triumphant living.
“The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.” ~ Winston Churchill
Gregory Hake 
Certainly there needs to be laws and advocates for protection against this type of behavior, especially where children are involved. But ultimately it is essential to remember that truth is the governor we elect in relation to our own heart in the matter. Well written!
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I remember a quote from Ghandi that “an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.” In the situation of slander, one party has already laid the path for ruin in their own lives. I certainly would mourn that choice they made, but the ‘sticks and stones’ and name calling by others are not worth losing my own place with truth. Then there would be double cause for mourning. I think your stand here is noble and most excellently illustrated by both you and Mr. Jordan.
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This was such a clear, balanced view of the truth of things. It may take some courage to initially let the truth be your guide, but once you do, you have the strongest, most dependable guide known to man!
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I loved Mr. Jordan’s description of being protected by the truth. He made the experience palpable. Your thoughts on the types of liars is valuable. Our society is full of “half truths” always wanting to put forth the “where there’s smoke…” charade. I think that is usually a preemptive strike or a red herring of sorts to deflect being discovered as corrupt themselves. Our political arena is built on this. If Washington outlawed gossip and half truths we see a magnificent expanse in our options to handle our present economic crisis and the global fear that grips the world. I’m sure there are solutions to what ails our world but it starts with the truth, the whole truth.
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Certainly we each must take personal responsibility for the expression and living of the truth in our own lives. However, it seems to me that we must also take responsibility for what we believe. In particular I have discovered over the years that it is likely that one is lying when a)it seems that one is part of ganging up on another – sort of like a mob frenzy (which is for cowards) and b)when one who is spreading lies and untruths hides behind anonymity. And one more thought is this – the truth does not need defending so if half truths or out and out lies are being said about one than frankly they do not need to be defended nor should there be a counter attack but instead simply hold steady (and keep living and expressing the truth) and the real truth will be revealed.
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One of the most difficult things to teach young people is how to deal with malicious gossip. Now with the Internet it is even more difficult for them, as witnessed by everyone, when the only option is to end their own lives. My strategy is to not only try to help the teen that is being abused but to reach out to the abuser and see what can be done there. I agree there must be consequences but often I see the parents are equally engaged. The abuser is emulating their parents in how to deal with something that is different and may threaten their belief or they object to. Cruelty is a learned behavior as is staying strong because you know the truth. Great post I’ll share it with my colleagues.
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Now there’s a crucial point – to follow truth no matter where it takes you. And that most often makes ‘human nature’ uncomfortable – the unknown. But it’s not really unknown as are other unknowns that have a strong random element. This kind of unknown is like the fruit of a seed; it bears resemblance in essence. It is true to it’s core, and is most worthy of our trust, because truth is as real as real gets. And if you are fortunate enough to have come to understand this in your mind, and let it settle deep enough in your heart so that it displaces the ‘false gods’ of avarice, fear and self-importance, well then you’ve got something, a real pillar to hang your hat on (or better yet, crown!).
I think of this, and the feeling to me is characterized by a ‘humble grandiosity’. It’s that type of strength which exudes from you, a symphony of powerful notes creating such exacting, demanding music – like the description of Mr. Jordan’s phyiscality. You cannot help it, it is nature singing in tune, it’s instruments animated by virtuosity, and the focus is more on the music than on the player. That is the truth in motion, oh the glory of music!
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You make an important point. The majority of business owners today have had to deal with this. Between the ability to slander anonymously on social media sites and the legalities required of your human resource dept to safeguard your staff, there is plenty of opportunity for people to lie. You are right about the truth prevailing, sometimes it is immediate and occasionally a few years but it will be discovered. I’ve realized you can’t make it a personal vigil, this is when I remove my attention from it and stay engaged in the present. Let the universe deal with the liars.
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