There's more beauty in the truth even if it is dreadful beauty. The storytellers at the city gate twist life so that it looks sweet to the lazy and the stupid and the weak, and this only strengthens their infirmities and teaches nothing, cures nothing, nor does it let the heart soar.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
The world is full of truth twisters, and the internet contains more than its fair share, but there are enough real people to be worth the bother of weeding out the liars with hidden agendas. Some huddle behind nicknames, several at a time sometimes, to reach their chosen destination. I stay as real as possible, even with them, although I often know many things I do not say out loud.
I have come to realize that letting them feel the victor does not really make them so. I use my own private timetable and questionnaire to decide if they add more to my life than what they take away. The balance is theirs to juggle, yet the final decision is always mine. And if they are missed, once dismissed, it is only the real portion I glimpsed amid the rubble of lies and deceit, so the longing is short term, at best.
There is no shame in believing a lie, for a time, either by fashion or by design. The real shame only comes in holding tight to what never can be, and by choice living a lie that makes you their willing victim. Each of us possesses a lie detector deep inside, in the doubt that will not go away, no matter how hard we try to swallow it, or in the uneasy sensation that just will not be denied. Listen when it speaks. I do without undue stress, if I lead myself off course I am still in my comfort zone, if I allow others to do the same I could end up anywhere.
The real ones never cause doubt or worry, face-to-face or online. Some people are pure light, others are mostly shadow. Choose carefully where you stand then stand proud with the confidence of one who owns the space they inhabit. Let truth be your guide then soar on its wings, past all agendas not your very own.
THINK ABOUT IT
LET IT GROW
THEN DECIDE
