Why Honesty Is the Key to MAGA — and the Good Life

By Selwyn Duke

Many years ago now, I encountered a man wearing a T-shirt stating “Everybody lies, nobody cares.” I thankfully never saw that shirt again. But I did think to myself at the time, “Well, I don’t lie — and I do care.”

We all should. No one had to explain why, either, to John Birch Society founder Robert Welch. He addressed the importance of honesty in 1970, writing:

If all men (and women too, of course), from diplomats to drunken bums, would simply resolve tomorrow always to be truthful, about everything — to the best of their knowledge and understanding — and would then abide by that resolution, I believe that fully half of all the troubles and grief of the human race would disappear within six months.

While one could quibble about what percentage of problems would disappear and how fast, the basic principle is unarguable. It’s as with a computer: garbage in, garbage out. If the input is incorrect, so will the output be. But if the data fed into the system is correct — is Truth — the output will also be correct.

So it is, too, with social systems, the family “system,” the political system — and the “system” that is your mind. Yes, being honest with oneself (i.e., not rationalizing) is the most important dimension of honesty. More on this later.

Many Reasons To Lie, One Great Reason Not To

Writing about this recently, commentator Eric Utter quoted the famous Thomas Jefferson line, “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” He also acknowledged that speaking and living Truth can be costly, stating:

In extreme cases, doing the right thing may even result in losing one’s fortune or life.

The Founders knew this all too well. Nevertheless, to a person of character, courage, and integrity, it has to be done — and it brings with it the peerless reward of self-respect, and the knowledge that those who come after you will benefit from your actions.

Nonetheless, people find many reasons for lying, from making money to gaining social acceptance or power. Yet there’s one overriding reason not to lie:

It’s wrong.

It also can destroy civilization — and one’s own life.

While the “Everybody lies, nobody cares” types may dispute lying’s wrongness (during an honest moment!), humanity’s actions tell the tale. Clinical psychologist Jordan Peterson, who emphasizes the honesty imperative, illustrated this well in a talk years ago, stating:

No one teaches their children that the best way to navigate the world is by lying constantly. Parents don’t sit their kids down and say, “The world is a corrupt place, everyone lies, and your job is to become the best liar possible to succeed and fix things.” Instead, people instinctively act as if the opposite is true. Most parents are upset when they catch their children lying, which suggests a deep-seated belief that truth is the proper way to proceed. While it’s not always clear why people hold this belief, their behavior — disapproving of lies and encouraging honesty — demonstrates that they act as if truth is the foundation for a good and orderly life.

The Beauty of Truth

Also instructive is that none of us wants to be lied to, and we’re generally angry when it happens. Consider as well whether we would trust that man wearing the “Everybody lies, nobody cares” shirt. Would you be inclined to have him provide medical care, tutor your child, or even fix your car? In fact, honesty is a quality we seek in a hire or when retaining services. And all this, and the Golden Rule (“Do unto others…”), raises a question.

Can we reasonably make the case that it’s okay to lie to our fellow man?

Yet people still have those “reasons” — and “My reasons are always reasonable,” right? In reality, though, we hurt ourselves along with others when we deceive. Dr. Peterson addressed this in a more recent exposition. You “have an obligation to the development of your soul to speak the truth,” he emphasized. He then illustrated the consequences of not doing so:

For instance, if you go on a date with the goal of securing a sexual partner for the night, you might craft your words to manipulate the other person into providing what you desire. This instrumental use of language, however, is problematic. What if your idea of what you want is misguided? Treating someone as a means to impulsive pleasure may diminish the potential for a healthier, more meaningful interaction. Pursuing short-term gratification might not serve you well in the long run — next week, a month, or years down the road.

The Power of Sincerity

Another example is a stereotypical politician, who’ll tell any lie and erect any facade to gain power. This he craves just as someone else may lust after money, sex, or food. What eludes him is that he doesn’t need more power or higher office. He needs to start living in sincerity for two reasons. First, as Greek philosopher Aristotle pointed out, living a moral life is a prerequisite for happiness. Second, if you must deceive to facilitate a career — and it’s just like lying on a résumé — perhaps that career isn’t for you. In this case, embracing honesty can help you find your true calling (which itself increases happiness).

An irony, too, is that many grand political liars (and others) dream of greatness. But how many great triumphs, inventions, innovations, or discoveries are realized via the pursuit or expression of lies? Whether in the scientific, political, social, or any other realm, authentic greatness has been achieved by seeking Truth. Einstein did not say E = mc^{whatever works for you}.

Then there is, again, lies’ effect upon the wider society. Consider here agitprop (political propaganda), e.g., Soviet agitprop. These are lies fed into a target nation’s system for the purposes of destabilizing it, weakening it. We easily recognize this as what it is, too: a hostile enemy action designed to destroy.

Yet is the effect less pernicious merely because the lies are peddled by a nation’s own politicians, media, and activists?

And are these liars any less enemies of our civilization?

We’d do well to remember that each time we disseminate a lie, we’re taking a cudgel to the body politic. And doing this enough can beat the life out of a republic.

Finding Truth

All this said, you can’t tell the Truth without knowing it (though you can avoid lying regardless). And you can’t know it unless you’re honest with yourself. Lying to oneself — rationalization, that is — is interesting, too. We do it, obviously, when an aspect of reality is scary, uncomfortable, or highly inconvenient. Perhaps it’s contrary to a cherished agenda. Yet we often have an inkling it’s happening. There’s an unease, a sense that you’re hiding from an unwelcome reality, keeping it quarantined in your mind’s recesses so that it never has its day in intra-cranial court.

Yet this process damns us to dislocation from reality. After all, to rationalize is to distort reality for oneself. Do this often enough and long enough and you can lose touch with reality. Then you perhaps won’t be able to find it even when you want to. This can result in what’s known as “disordered thinking.”

Lastly, though, there is a prerequisite for seeking and accepting the Truth in all things and in all times and in all situations: loving it. And a prerequisite for this is understanding that it’s real, something transcending man and above him. Put most simply, too, Truth is this: God’s answers to all of life’s questions.

(Note: The contrary thesis — the atheistic perspective — correlates with moral nihilism, the notion there’s no right or wrong. Yes, really. I explained this in the past, such as here and here.)

In conclusion, honesty really is the key to making America great again. A nation of liars can never prosper — and a nation of Truth-seekers can never fail.

For those interested, the earlier-cited Jordan Peterson presentations are below.

                    This article was originally published at The New American.

Comments

[tj]

To be honest, Selwyn, your assertions about the truth setting you free or some such is overly simplistic. First, as many have discovered, the truth presented in too raw a fashion can elicit extreme responses. Jordan Peterson should recognize that such responses are often defense mechanisms and that those who trigger them may well find themselves in harm's way. Remember the fable about the emperor's new clothes was just a story. In real life, the ruler might target the child's family. A person with less power might start insisting that the person speaking truth is evil. Others may agree. Sometimes people can't handle the truth. Other times a person who views himself as being blunt may actually be distorting the truth in order to insult or undermine. What's at stake here really isn't the truth though such a person/journalist may insist he got his facts straight. But did he?

Further into this topic would be the perceptions of the bearer of the unwelcome supposed truth. People often don't recognize when they are making someone look bad in order to usurp the other person's position. When "truth" gets wielded like a weapon, the motive behind the revelation should be looked at more closely. You're too ready for an easy answer here. You can certainly find fault with others all day but that which is negative isn't usually the whole story which means it isn't the truth. Journalist get paid to play the judge while making clever comments at the expense of the person or institution being targeted. Being more nuanced just doesn't make good copy now, does it?

In short, I think you and most other journalists who deal in opinions conflate seeking vulnerabilities with seeking truth. This is not done with love but with an instinct to destroy. The behavior is unscrupulous since you need someone to excoriate so the money for your cutesy turns of phrase keeps rolling in. What's that saying about not being able to convince a man of the truth if his salary depends on the lie, something like that. Is it the truth or is it really the pay schedule or the attention or some personal agenda?

And, sometimes truth is actually relative. I may view myself as an excellent swimmer though you know I wouldn't come close to making the cut for the Olympic team. Yet I can do the backstroke, sidestroke, the cannonball and maybe saved a neighbor's kid from drowning. What do you even mean that I couldn't swim my way out of a paper bag? I've made light of it though I believe this kind of "truth" that makes the perfect the enemy of the good enough is probably the most destructive because it demoralizes people.

You seem fairly intelligent which is why I don't understand why you want truth to be only one answer with the other being false. It flys in the face of wisdom not to recognize that both parties in a conflict may be both completely wrong, partly wrong, or one more wrong than the other. Interesting that you use the examples of seeking the pleasure of sex without consequences and seeking a job in order to survive by lying (interesting possible bifurcation here gets ignored: exaggerating ability or hiding mistakes?). For you the magic would be to say that you only want a one night stand or that you only ever put in the minimum effort but really want this job anyway. Wrt seeking sex, the person may actually want a relationship but will inevitably sabotage it. Such a person probably isn't insightful so can't get at the underlying truth(s). And a lie for the sake of survival is generally recognized for what it is. Besides it's unlikely that most people aren't doing somewhat of a coverup job with their resumes and cover (up) letters. Society does somewhat expect exaggeration and maybe being painfully honest is a wrong focus that indicates further counterproductive interpersonal interaction. Furthermore employers aren't necessarily all that honest: boss takes frustrations out on employees, product being sold is a farce, all are incompetent except the new hire who won't get credit for their contributions. But Selwyn, being a capitalist pig, views he-who-is-paying-the-wage as the emperor whose nakedness you never ever notice. Of course here's where you will start complaining about my overly simplistic views.

Surely you and your friends will look for the gotcha moment or statement so you can win the battle of one-upmanship. I wonder if you'll have the audacity to conflate it with the truth - this time.

[Selwyn Duke]

Dear TJ,

Thank you for responding (I think). I must say, I object to your characterizing me as seeming "fairly intelligent."

I'm actually as dumb as a box of rocks!

But isn't it astounding how I make the most of the limited talents God has bestowed upon me?

As for you, I'll address your comment and, since you actually are fairly intelligent, you may be able to apprehend what I will elucidate.

I anticipated criticisms such as yours, as my piece is not exhaustive. It's an article, not a book (and on the long side as it is), so it by necessity omits much.

Jordan Peterson—who, unlike you, is not just fairly intelligent but a genius—understands well what you articulated; he also understands far more.

Obviously, being honest (a virtue, by the way) and avoiding prevarication are not synonymous with disgorging everything that enters one's mind; the imperative also does not demand that we display brutal honesty. We can withhold speaking a truth if prudence (another virtue) dictates that we should.

As for the saying you were struggling to recall, it's by Upton Sinclair and goes, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." (Amazingly, I remembered that almost verbatim even with my limited intellect. God be praised!) And while your suspicion about journalists as a group is correct, it doesn't apply to me at all. I never write anything I don't believe is true, and my sincerest goal is to seek and express the Truth. That is, in fact, my calling, I believe. Moreover, I've sacrificed more money for principle in my life than you could ever imagine, in more careers/endeavors than you would suppose.

Next, you wrote, "It flys [sic] in the face of wisdom not to recognize that both parties in a conflict may be both completely wrong, partly wrong, or one more wrong than the other." Well, this is just stating the obvious, and sophisticated people understand that it is to state the obvious. Do note, however, what is implicit in your comment. No one can be "wrong" at all unless "right and wrong"—aka, Truth—exists. And no, Truth is never "relative"; if it's relative, it ain't Truth. It is then, rather, mere preference or taste. Of course, there are matters of taste along with matters of Truth. Wisdom resides in being able to discern the difference between the two (though it should be a facile task).

Anyway, I'll conclude by noting that there are people who would object to my article because it makes them feel self-conscious, because they want to justify their own convenient lies. It's good that you're not one of those people.

God bless,

Selwyn Duke

[Tj]

You just don't get it, Selwyn. You and the dirty jobs guy often cause me to roll my eyes. A dirty job for me is cleaning the toilet with one of those toilet scrubbers. If you inherit money or sit at a desk in an air conditioned room typing on a laptop do you deserve the money you get? Should roofers get paid more because of the danger of falling? Probably but then nobody could afford a new roof.

And I'm not surprised you're a JP fanboy though I don't find he has much good advice for women. Maybe he should go on tour with Naomi Wolf for the enlightened feminist perspective. Pop psychology is hit or miss with me. Loved the stuff the adults did when I was a kid, "I'm ok, you're ok", "Passages". In recent years I've only liked habit trackers: still looking for a good one with the circular format, thinking of using little star stickers to reward myself for doing stuff on the list.

Everyone lies sometimes. Sometimes lying is more respectful than honesty. Moriarty therapy out of Japan that focuses on doing rather than being honest about what you did or didn't do is a more recent popular approach to therapy I find intriguing. Of course what you're doing should be pro-social in nature. And you should only stick the star in the box if you actually accomplished the task.

In truth and stars,

Tj