The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Until recent years, when being sworn in as a witness in a court of law in the United States one was asked to place their right hand on the Christian Bible and swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me god.” In more recent years witnesses In a court of law can now swear or affirm “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Traditionally. except in the case of John Adams, when presidents were administered the oath of office they placed their hand on a bible. The thought was that for Christians that were less likely to lie if reminded that the God of their understanding was listening in! Of course there were some major issues with the assumptions underlying this practice including:
Obviously there are some facts which can be verified by “raw” data: film which has not been altered and which shows a wide enough view that “a truth” is revealed or certain medical tests. It is true, for example, that death records across the United States show that a certain number of people have died from complications related to covid-19 infection. This is not the number of people who have died from complications of covid-19, but those a physician has determined died as a direct result the complications of covid19 and for whom a death sentence is available.
As any of us know who have undertaken a spiritual or emotional growth journey honesty with and to ourselves is a process of gradual courage and perseverance. Our truth of today is determined by:
Thus, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth could be “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth just for today”. Just for today is a frequent reminder for those struggling with recovery from active addiction. A recovering addict knows that it is easy to lie to oneself which can eventually lead to returning to active addiction. A recovering addict or anyone who has a program for spiritual growth knows that “more will be revealed”; daily there is more awareness of the lies we have told ourselves about ourselves, others and the world.
My habit has become to say “My memory today tells me …”. This allows for the possibility that my memory of a particular event, situation or even something seemingly more concrete is just that – my memory which does not reveal any universal truth. Allowing myself to be open to various truths about myself, another or some events changes the nature of many conversations. It frequently gives others the latitude to consider the possibility their truth is not “the truth”. This then can allow for a real conversation during which we may learn from and with each other.
Written May 11, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
Until recent years, when being sworn in as a witness in a court of law in the United States one was asked to place their right hand on the Christian Bible and swear to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help me god.” In more recent years witnesses In a court of law can now swear or affirm “to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Traditionally. except in the case of John Adams, when presidents were administered the oath of office they placed their hand on a bible. The thought was that for Christians that were less likely to lie if reminded that the God of their understanding was listening in! Of course there were some major issues with the assumptions underlying this practice including:
- Not everyone, even in the United States, is a Christian.
- There is no “truth” but only one’s perception, flawed memory and limited courage.
- Most of us seem to have an amazing ability to lie to ourselves and then pass that along as “the truth”
Obviously there are some facts which can be verified by “raw” data: film which has not been altered and which shows a wide enough view that “a truth” is revealed or certain medical tests. It is true, for example, that death records across the United States show that a certain number of people have died from complications related to covid-19 infection. This is not the number of people who have died from complications of covid-19, but those a physician has determined died as a direct result the complications of covid19 and for whom a death sentence is available.
As any of us know who have undertaken a spiritual or emotional growth journey honesty with and to ourselves is a process of gradual courage and perseverance. Our truth of today is determined by:
- Our conscious memory.
- What is sometimes documented which may, at the very least, open a window to a different truth than we have been telling ourselves.
- What we can “bear” to believe about ourselves.
- Our fear of consequences of telling the truth and what other truths might be revealed as a result.
- Our projection of how our truth will affect others.
- Projected gains from not telling the truth.
- Medical issues affecting retrieval of information stored in the brain.
Thus, the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth could be “the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth just for today”. Just for today is a frequent reminder for those struggling with recovery from active addiction. A recovering addict knows that it is easy to lie to oneself which can eventually lead to returning to active addiction. A recovering addict or anyone who has a program for spiritual growth knows that “more will be revealed”; daily there is more awareness of the lies we have told ourselves about ourselves, others and the world.
My habit has become to say “My memory today tells me …”. This allows for the possibility that my memory of a particular event, situation or even something seemingly more concrete is just that – my memory which does not reveal any universal truth. Allowing myself to be open to various truths about myself, another or some events changes the nature of many conversations. It frequently gives others the latitude to consider the possibility their truth is not “the truth”. This then can allow for a real conversation during which we may learn from and with each other.
Written May 11, 2020
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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