Pollution of Lies
Through daydreams we can end up desiring to be someone more than what we are - a superstar that sells out stadiums, an over-paid CEO of a fabulously successful corporation, a general that won a great war, a hero that is talked about in all the world's media by successfully saving thousands from a certain death, even becoming the manager of the small business we may be employed at... the choices are many, but the dreams persist of becoming more than we are. Success is never an easy path no matter the payoff.But success on any level brings more and more desires that invariably leads to lies no matter how much we know we should remain honest and truthful. Our physical comfort can be at stake, our reputation, our respect from others and eventually lies become de rigueur for maintaining the level of comfort we've become accustomed to. Balancing the books using fraudulent means, lying about our backgrounds to cover up some sleazy thing we did when we were in our twenties to protect our reputation, flatly denying an scandalous occurrence that would bring our downfall... no matter the reason, eventually it resorts to lying to protect the status quo... the larger the status, the bigger the lies.
Untruths are similar to lying, except instead of down right lying , an untruth is stretching facts to fit an idea, a concept or a philosophy. An analogy would be squeezing your size 9 foot into a size 8 because the shoe looks good. Untruth requires a closer investigation in what is being proposed... how much of what is being said is fact or truth and how much is a wish that the idea could be completely true? What part of the puzzle does not fit.
Lies and untruths have cost mankind untold amounts of lives, energy and money... all because 'we' want so much for 'it' to be true. Whatever the topic, whatever the subject, whatever the cause or reason, if any of these things make either the 'me' (singular) or 'we' (i.e., corporate or nationalistic), more than what me/we are, this me/we will resort to lying in order to confuse the truth. A lot is at stake.
How much money is spent in finding out whether something is true or not is a terrible waste of money and energy... money and energy that could be used to benefit mankind. The cost of wars is mankind's most stupid act. The U.S. has spent over $308 billion dollars so far to convince others that Democracy in Iraq will solve the problems in the Middle East. Certainly that must be one of the biggest lies of our current times. Add to that all the other wars throughout the world and your guess is as good as mine how much that would be. Just thinking about how much good that much money would do for the people of this singular planet, and it should trouble even the least imaginative amongst us.
Factor into these amounts the huge amounts of both money and energy spent on defending the sick among us. How much sickness is caused by lifestyle? How much sickness is brought on by the stress of keeping up the lies so many live? How many bring sickness and disease upon themselves because of their refusal to accept a more healthy way of living? Those monies, those levels of expertise to help those could well assist many that are in true, desperate need worldwide with safe drinking water, improved sanitation, better education, cleaner air and healthier foods.
In the list of lies that cost mankind dearly we could add the huge expense of defense. Not a country's defense but defending accused criminals of crimes. Yes, those who are innocent deserve to be defended. But how many on either side of the court's bench are there lying about 'who did it'? From celebrity court costs to corporate defense lawyers... these high profile court cases spend millions of dollars defending their clients rights to lie. If these people simply told the facts and truth as they see it so much money and energy would be saved.
There are countless numbers of examples that could be cited that show the absolute waste of the precious resources that could and should be diverted for mankind's benefit that are being used because of lies, because of untruths, because of desires to be so much more than what we are.
The world has become awash in lies. Truth is questioned on every level. Nobody knows truth from lies anymore, (well, not everybody, but certainly enough to bring confusion and chaos to our world), and so many don't want to know the truth even about their own Self. American personal debt is at an all time high and growing. So many people lying about their desires over their needs. Nations at war over the deceptions and lies of their leaders. Sickness, disease and stupidity spreading globally that the future for mankind appears more and more bleak for many. And yet all this would find balance if only lies were dropped. Lies cost more... much more than truth. If we would take the responsibility for seeking truth we would save money, energy and resources for others.
Lies are pollution that mask the clarity of Truth.
Cecil
17 August 2008
[originally posted 20 August 2006]
Picture of the Week :
A Tilted Door in San Miguel
sometimes we feel the door is locked
nobody can enter without the right key
but when we reach out for the knob
we are surprised to find the door open
it was our own idea that locked
us away from going any further
from where we have arrived
sometimes we feel the door is locked
nobody can enter without the right key
but when we reach out for the knob
we are surprised to find the door open
it was our own idea that locked
us away from going any further
from where we have arrived
this is me catching up to your sunday streams...it's been such a long time since i read you.