Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and...Whatever....

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant—
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise

As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind—
Emily Dickinson

She had nothing left to say, so she said she loved me.
And I stood there grateful for the lie.
Doug Hopkins

Everything Possible to be Believ'd is an Image of Truth.
William Blake


The Quakers believe very strongly in telling the truth. In the early days they called themselves “Friends of Truth,” which eventually morphed into “the Society of Friends.”

Then, they're also quite proud of the role they played in the Underground Railroad, which wouldn't have worked so well if they'd told slave catchers "I cannot tell a lie. They're hiding in the root cellar."

The moral of this story is: there's a time and a place for everything, even those things that don’t happen to be true.

9 comments:

FANCY said...

The lie in the truth not black not white...can that be more devastates!?

I see it in your eyes I see how you move your body...I want to believe

Lydia said...

God, this was great. Brief and just rich. I completed my BA degree at a Quaker-founded institution, George Fox University. Two of their current students were arrested for hanging a cardboard cutout of Obama from a tree on campus during the campaign, fine upstanding young Christians they. I think there was only one other incident along this line among the nation's colleges during all the months of the campaign. As a totally inactive alumnus I have no clout to back any form of protest. I guess that's why I'm leaving this comment, as a means of further exposure. And in light of your reminder of the background of Quakers and the underground railroad it's all the more detestable.

Anonymous said...

That would present certain problems. I wonder how many of them didnt tell the truth everytime, and how they wrestled with that [if they wrestled with that] in the context of their faith?

Anonymous said...

Deep thoughts ....

It's been a while since I've beento your blog and by the looks of your recent posts, it seems I've been missing out. I'll have to add you into my blog rotation.

Anonymous said...

Did you ever notice that in the act of saying the word 'truth,' you actually come damn near close to biting your tongue?

DrowseyMonkey-Photos said...

Ah yes, good point.

What is the truth anyway. And if you really believe it is it really a lie? I think George Costanza said that.

izangel said...

"there's a time and a place for everything, even those things that don’t happen to be true."

... so true! ^^

Ed T. said...

What about science, science can be proven to be true, after all that's it's nature, tested until it can't be proven untrue, then an idea becomes not truth but accepted as a kind of standard to go off of. I don't know what my point is, I don't think I have one.

Anonymous said...

Maybe those Quakers knew more about the essence of honesty that can be put into a bunch of rules. Those "Friends of truth" were witness to the greater truth that all people are born free, and in that context there are no slaves in the root cellar.