Aabid Nisar Shah
Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth-telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving. – James E. Faust
Modern societies lack truthfulness. Lying is a shrewd propensity. It is the stem of every other disease that societies pulsate with. Modern social order is disturbed as it has lost the glue of truthfulness. Truth is smothering from our societies. It is an alarming situation. If we couldn’t care now truth can only be found in non-human factors. We have to abandon lying even for sake of fun. We have to spurn lying even for the sake of a benefit. Compulsive lying has very deep roots in our society. This invisible illness has degraded our social order. In trying to cover the first lie, you tell another lie and this leads to an endless chain of lies. To me, modern-day social problems have a common root cause i.e. “lying and abandoning truth”. Our lying habits are so usual that we are unable to recognize them.Which parent will cheat in his parenting but a liar? Who would swindle his parent but a liar? Who would cheat in an exam but a liar? Who would bribe for a job but a liar? Who would cheat in a relationship but a liar? Who would do money laundering but a liar? Who would elude from election manifesto but a liar? Who would utilize religion to win political races but a liar? Who would communalize marriage but a liar? Who would discriminate in democracy but a liar? Who would criminalize journalism but a liar? Who would run a fake video on national tv but a liar? Who would justify a rape but a liar? Who would commercialize a religion but a liar? Who would use faith to divide the nation but a liar? Who would use testaments to declare war but a liar? Who would communalize a sermon but a liar? Who would utilize complexion to discriminate but a liar? Who would plunder open in name of good cause but a liar? Who would use courts to defend a criminal but a liar? Who would silence authentic voices but a liar? Who would use social networking to create social distance but a liar? Who would make dread in a minority but a liar? Who would utilize the police to stifle residents but a liar? Who would use a global pandemic to suppress a committee but a liar? Who would marry to loot wealth but a liar? Who would walk on side of rapist but a liar? Who would overlook an unnatural weather change but a liar? Who would stay quiet for the casualty but a liar? and so forth.
A society where all are speaking truth from peon to head of state, from criminal to judge, from victim to oppressor; eventually bad will be replaced by good. It is the right time to abandon lying and speak the truth. Speaking truth is a revolutionary act one can engage in.
Truth itself is an atheist that all theists are following. If something is true it is true for all, in all places and at all levels. A good example is one plus one equals two for everyone, everywhere and all times. Truth is found not created. It exists independent of anyone’s knowledge of it. Truthfulness is a language that the blind can see and the deaf can hear. Truth is constant although our convictions about truth change. Telling lies is an expression of being afraid —afraid of what others will think, terrified of what will be discovered out about us, scared of facing the reality. Every time we tell a lie, the issue that we worry grows stronger until it gains control over us. To me, the answer to the vast majority of social issues is to speak the truth. Truth squeezes the separations between individuals made by lies. Truth fortifies relations. Truth never leaves space for the troublemaker in the public arena. If we are zealous to see our societies flourishing in all aspects, then the plinth of our society should be based on truth. Imagine a society where all are speaking truth from peon to head of state, from criminal to judge, from victim to oppressor; eventually bad will be replaced by good. It is the right time to abandon lying and speak the truth. Speaking truth is a revolutionary act one can engage in. Once a man came to Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I have many bad habits. Which one of them should I give up first?” Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) said, “Give up telling lies first and always speak the truth”.
(The author is a student of CUK. Views are his own, [email protected])
