An elected official on national television blatantly denies something when asked, only to have to backtrack the next day as the truth comes out. Another elected official has over 70% of their statements documented as “not true”. Social media outlets overflow with false news. Does the truth not matter to anyone anymore? Can accountability exist in our post-truth world?
Do we not know we’re being lied to or do we just not care? Recently when I mentioned the amount of lies produced by one candidate the person I was speaking with said, “I just think that all politicians lie. That’s just the way it is.”
If enough people lie, then it’s okay?
Well, I don’t believe all politicians lie and I also don’t believe that we have to accept anything less than the truth, from anyone.
I would rather elect a leader who has different political views and speaks the truth, then one who says they have the same political position as myself but deals in lies. I know exactly what I am getting with the person speaking the truth. With the other individual, I don’t even know if their politics align with me as I can never know what to believe.
When people lie they cannot be accountable. Absence of accountability leads to chaos and then anything goes. Chaos means there is no order. The one thing we can be responsible for is to demand that our leaders operate from truth. Don’t elect someone we know isn’t telling the truth and when a leader speaks non-truths it’s time to replace that individual.
Once we allow our leaders to not tell the truth is it okay for companies advertising to give us non-truths? May our doctors sway from the truth? Do our teachers need to only teach the truth? We are opening the door for a post-truth world and I don’t like what I see in that world.
It is our responsibility to make sure we are being given the truth. It is our responsibility to only accept the truth. It is our responsibility to take action when we aren’t given the truth. Only then can we expect our leaders to lead with integrity and be accountable to us.
