Truth, according to the Encarta Dictionary, is “something factual - the thing that corresponds to fact or reality.” Love is defined as, “transitive and intransitive verb to feel tender affection for somebody such as a close relative or friend, or for something such as a place, an ideal, or an animal.” Dictionary definitions are fine, but in practice, both truth and love are very elusive concepts.
These two words are very common and yet extremely hard to define. So what happens when you put them together? You get a phrase, “Truth in Love.” Is there really truth in love? Can love exist without truth? In my experience, the two are mutually dependant and cannot exist without the other. Love is impossible without truth to go with it; truth is harsh and void of meaning without love.
Truth without love is useless. One environment in which we attempt to teach truth is in the classroom. If a teacher is instructing his class about the wonders of the world, but does not care about the subject or does not portray that wonder, then the students will only learn not to care. A teacher with a passion for his subject will convey passion to his students, creating enthusiastic learners.
If a teacher fails to demonstrate love or caring to his students, he will create an environment of apathy and boredom; students fail to thrive and will not benefit from any truths imparted in this atmosphere. A teacher that teaches for the love of his students will find unbounded truths learned and celebrated.
Can a person love another without being truthful? We all try at various times in our lives. If I am not truthful with my wife, can I claim to love her? I can partake in self-deception and think that I am, but I am only lying to myself as well as to her. Trust is a foundation to real friendships as well as marriages. The quickest way to erode that trust is though dishonesty. If a person is hurting himself and we fail to reach out to them or we fail to share our life experiences, do we love them? No, we are protecting ourselves, avoiding any possible rejection. We are not being truthful. Where there is dishonesty, love cannot be.
Many people think that telling the truth is just not telling lies; however, a life of truth is much more than that. Being truthful means doing things that you do not mind telling others about. It means being honest with yourself and not trying to justify your actions. By saying, they really will not mind if I take this, they will not even miss it, does not make stealing right, it actually makes it worse. Practicing truth means having the courage to admit your mistakes, to be real and honest with yourself and others. In effect, telling the truth strengthens relationships. Where there is truth, there is love.
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