Lies run sprints but the truth runs marathons.
Michael Jackson
One fine summer day, the Truth and the Lie met on the road.
The Lie said to the Truth: “It’s a marvelous day today”! The Truth looked up to the skies and sighed, for the day was indeed beautiful.
Truth and Lie spent a lot of time together, eventually arriving beside a well.
The Naked Truth – “Truth coming out of her well”, by Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1896
The Lie said to the Truth: “The water is very nice, let’s take a bath together!” The Truth, once again suspicious, tested the water and discovered that it indeed was very nice.
They undressed and started bathing. Suddenly, the Lie came out of the water, put on the clothes of the Truth and ran towards a nearby village. The furious Truth came out of the well and ran everywhere to find the Lie and retrieve her clothes.
The Village, and the World, seeing the Truth naked, turned its gaze away, with scorn and distaste. The poor Truth returned to the well and disappeared forever, hiding therein, its shame.
Since then, the Lie prances around the world, impersonating the Truth and satisfying the needs of society, because, the World is by no means in any particular hurry to meet the naked Truth.
Some say Truth stayed in the well, coming out every now and again to entertain visitors who don’t mind seeing her nakedness. In those moments, she is able to impart truths and have meaningful discourse.
Others say Truth ventured out and borrowed the clothes of a Scarecrow. Then she travelled to see her sister, Story. She also reunited with her good friends Persuasion, Empathy. Together, Persuasion and Empathy helped dress Truth in royal garments and had her transported by Story in order to appear appropriately at the Royal Audience. They needed to adorn and cover Truth and have Story carry her because, Truth revealed to them a poignant fact: “that history is fearful and awful to look at full in the face, much like a Gorgon’s head. The desperate wickedness and gross greed can only sanely be seen through the eyes of Story.”
So would you continue to entertain a well dressed Lie or uncomfortably confront a very naked Truth?
Some truths are admittedly very painful to confront or admit. How easy would it be for a well-meaning parent to say, “In my quest for perfection, I was abusive”, or for a politician whose political career is on the line to admit, “I lied to get here.” How easy would it be for those whom watered-down history has favored for centuries to stand up and say, ” We are beneficiaries of a well dressed Lie”. Or may I ask how hard?
But which is harder, to continually court and entertain a well dressed imposter (Lie) or to face the discomfort of a very naked Truth? Wear goggles if you must, or use a mirror, maybe even your phone’s camera, and face the Gorgon!
But the choice, my cherished reader, is yours!
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At MissKorang we strive to bring you life stories that teach timeless life lessons and, some of those stories, like this one, are real life stories submitted by our readers and shared with their permission. Identifying attributes are edited out to protect our contributors’ privacy.Can you leave your thoughts with these kind people in the comments? If you want to send us your experience, email us at submissions@misskorang.com. Or submit using this anonymous form. Please do not reproduce any part of this content without permission from us. Our stories contain affiliate links. When you click and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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I love this story.
What a clever and impactful story. The naked truth has so much to learn from. I would much rather face her but it can be hard to decipher. This is very timely as it has gotten harder and harder to tell what is true and what is a lie dressed in truth’s clothes. Thank you for this thought provoking story.
I think facing a naked truth scares a lot of people and it really is just easier for them to accept the well dressed lie. I also think that sometimes the lie can be easier to tell than the truth. I would rather be uncomfortable and have the truth.
So very true.
The truth can be hard and unappealing, but its so important to always try to be truthful.
Lots of wisdom in this tale!
Great story! I am a firm believer in always telling the truth. I am amazed by the number of people who assume you are lying because it is commonplace to them.
On point! Facing truths can be uncomfortable but and seems like many prefer a well dressed lie
Such truth!
Very accurate! Truth can sometimes be painful, but it does set you free. Lies are easy, but they tends to grow and eventually burden you with their weight.
As usual, another wonderful story from you! While telling and hearing the truth may be hard, I find I have the closest relationships with people who are truthful. Only then can we really be vulnerable and have honest and open friendships.
Miss Korang, another excellent fable. It’s so much easier to be truthful than to have to try to stay consistent in a lie, isn’t it? “Oh, what a tangled web we weave When first we practice to deceive.”
Great story and lesson!
I love your fable. We can learn so much from naked truth, even if it makes us uncomfortable. I choose to learn and grow.
Love this story! Thank you for sharing!
Great read! Nice job!