B191. Is Truth Deeper than Words?

 I remember, as a child, picking up from my schoolmates that it was OK to lie if we had our fingers crossed. Even at that young age, I thought this was flawed, but it seemed good to have a loophole. I questioned it more after someone told me they had their legs crossed. Who is making up the rules, I remember asking myself.

Even as adults, we hear people justifying their untruths by their words. "I didn't exactly say that. My exact words were . . ." And this strategy of not exactly lying in words is used constantly by advertisers, politicians, and biased media. We are manipulated to "hear" a particular idea, but the actual words don't really spell it out. Is it truth then? Is it lie? 

I remember childhood questions in Sunday School about whether it was ever OK to lie. Such thought-provoking discussions are important for developing critical thinking and deeper morality in children, and in adults too. Is it OK to lie/cheat in order to pass a test? to win a game? to convert someone to your faith? to get an age discount? to save a life? to get a day off? to pay less taxes? to avoid hurting someone's' feelings? to make more money? Does the end justify the means?

Can we recognize when we are being misled? Take, for example, being led to vote for a particular candidate based on gas prices. Imagine if the gas prices during party A's last term ranged from 2.79 to 4.09, and the prices during party B's term had the same range. Either party could claim "When we were in control, gas cost 2.79, and when the other party was in control, gas cost 4.09. Technically, these words would be 'true" from either side. But are they?

Is Truth really about words, or is Truth something deeper than utterances?

Jesus claimed to be the Truth. Did he mean something deeper than words? (Why did he not just say he tells the truth?) Are we satisfied with where we measure up?

We all draw our own lines. Of the eleven questions in paragraph three above, I would personally answer yes to two of them. Well, maybe more like one and a half. What about you?

If our intent is to deceive, do our "true" words trump the deception? Is this a game like crossing our fingers? Who's making the rules? Whose standard am I following? And you?

Does it even matter?

I say, yes, yes, it matters a lot. Yes, Truth is deeper than words. And yes, if we find that deeper Truth within ourselves, we will strive to make our words match that inner Truth, because that is at the core of who we are: the core of me, the core of you, the core of them.

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