Open Letter to Those Who Manipulate the Truth…

Just a short note to clear things up...

A Manifesto of sorts.

You might have the luxury of being able to say what you like & call it the truth.  

I do NOT.

Men- for whatever reason- have the inclination to lie about things.

I have done it- most of my brethren do. 

Everything from ‘I did not have sexual relations with that woman’ to ‘there were weapons of mass destruction over there’. 

I deal with this in my book.

Whether it is genetic or learned- we seem to have a predisposition toward lying- yes, more than women do. 

Don't take my word for it.  Look at the studies. 

& don't ask me why. 

I MIGHT be lying.

You have the luxury of being able to say you are from one part of the country and the other. 

(& what is the most painful is when you treat me as if I were somehow ‘slow’ or ‘stupid’. 
 
I’m actually none of these. 

As much as you may want to believe I am an imbecile- I am actually quite intelligent.) 

I simply need to be very clear what the truth is, and stick to that doggedly lest I fall into the trap of playing merry hell with what is real/factual. 

Some truths are negotiable- but not many. 

Am I fat?  Open to debate. 

Am I Caucasian?  Yes.

Am I FROM Australia?  Yes. 

If I am vague on these particular details, then next thing you know, I am telling a woman I ‘did NOT sleep with that other woman’ (when I know damned well I fucked the shit out of her).  & then, I am no better than my father, who was so vague about what was true…

it eventually drove him insane.

& tore our family apart.

You can say whatever you like. 
 
You can say you are White...but really Black...until you are Blue in the face.
 
You can fib yourself into an early grave. 
 
This is a democracy.
 
I can’t do that. 

I have to be rigid about what is true, and what is not. 

To be otherwise causes untold damage to those who rely upon my word.

You can say and do what you like, and call it true.  (& most of the planet will support you in that. society & it’s structures are largely built on the lies we tell ourselves. War is an EXCELLENT example.) 

That is how a ‘war for oil’ became a WAR ON TERROR & A FIGHT FOR FREEDOM. 

But MOST (if not all) countries do!! 

It’s systemic.  So don’t feel as though it is cultural, or uniquely your affliction; because WE went with the US in this lie. 

Manipulating the truth for your convenience is international.

I simply cannot be a part of it.

& I simply can’t be around the kind of people who do it. 

Say one thing, and mean another.  I don’t have that luxury. 

I cannot.

Or rather…WILL not.

AGAIN...
 
I should make one thing very clear; none of this is a criticism of ANY other person. 

You are ALL wonderful people in your own way.

But I ALSO do not judge you. 

I have NO RIGHT to judge you. 

I am not BETTER than you; I am not a Christian, so I do not believe that this one goes to Heaven for telling the truth, and that one to Hell for lying.

& I can safely say I am someone who has engaged in my share of LIES.

No more.

It’s about choices. 

What is right for you. 

If lying…

or indeed ANY other choices (eating meat, saying mass) work for you, then that is your right.

We are only human here; frail, flawed creatures doing the best we can in a complicated world. 

We do what we can.  
My choices are CERTAINLY no better than yours.

Neither are they worse.