Truth Is Tough

Pilate’s question to the Savior of mankind appears ever more important: “What is truth?” Much of the difficulty and disappointment of life comes because we either don’t know the truth or don’t live the truth we know. Much of our time is taken in searching for truth. Much of our trouble comes because we can’t always know who is telling the truth. Much of our effort is spent in speculating, arguing⎯advocating theories, suppositions, hypotheses, and personal opinions or prejudices which we presume to be true. All this⎯or some of it⎯seems necessarily so because there is so much that is not now known.

But aside from what is known, and aside from the necessary searching for the unknown, there is always the question of deliberate deception⎯not innocent deception or the untruth of ignorance (bad as these may be), but deliberate deceit, in which the falsifier knows that he is falsifying about people, about products, about principles, for one motive or another⎯for power or profit or some other purpose.

Scripture has harsh things to say concerning the falsifier, which it would be well to review in a day when so many seem dedicated to misleading the minds of men⎯a day in which the war of words is being so fiercely fought. Nor have thoughtful persons outside of Scripture overlooked the subject.

“Truth,” said Mark Twain, “is the most valuable thing we have.”

“Don not let us lie at all,” wrote John Ruskin. “Do not think of one falsity as harmless, and another as slight, and another as unintended. Cast them all aside; they may be light and accidental, but…it is better that our hearts should be swept clean of them.”

“Nothing gives such a blow to friendship, “wrote William Hazlitt, “as detecting another in an untruth. It strikes at the root of our confidence ever after.”

Falsehood causes sorrow, mistakes, waste, heartbreak, anguish, misguided lives.

Unfortunately truth does not seem to fare well in every encounter. Certainly it is not always seen or known, believed or accepted⎯so great is the power of deception. But let those who have been wronged, deceived or defrauded or injured find courage in this assurance from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “Truth is tough. It will not bread, like a bubble, at a touch.” Truth is tough. It will emerge and it will triumph.

Shakespeare seems almost to have been replying to Pilate’s question, when he asks in turn, “Is not the truth the truth?”