The Best of Jack’s Winning Words 3/4/24 – reprints of blog posts from the late Pastor Jack Freed.
“A lie doesn’t become truth, wrong doesn’t become right and evil doesn’t become good just because it’s accepted by a majority.” (Booker T. Washington)
Booker T. was born during the Civil War and grew up to be a respected educator, businessman and advisor to presidents. As I reread his quote, I sense that he’d be more than distressed at what has become of truth and the moral life. Truth is truth and right is right! Stand up for the truth, because if you don’t, who will? 😉 Jack
We certainly live in an era where the concept of truth has become muddled, if not for the majority at least for a large minority. Misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories have replaced the truth for many, especially those in politics.
But what is truth?
truth
/tro͞oTH/
noun
the quality or state of being true.
that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
noun: the truth
“tell me the truth”
a fact or belief that is accepted as true.
plural noun: truths
“the emergence of scientific truths”
It seems that as a society we have moved from the first definition of the truth being in accordance with fact or reality onto the looser part of the second definition – a belief that is accepted as true. Many have accepted conspiracy theories as truths, without any substantial or verifiable proof.
Once one’s view of the world becomes perverted by being based upon lies or false beliefs, it is a short jump to the rest of Booker T’s observation that wrong suddenly appears to be right and evil starts to look like good.
Booker T grew up in a world that was not that long removed from the belief that slave ownership was right, based upon the perverted belief that the slaves were somehow less human than their owners and thus had less rights and could be treated as property. That belief still exists in many parts of the country and has now morphed into a belief that the slaves should have been happy that they were rescued by their owners and taught valuable job skills. That new belief still sees the slaves and their descendants as somehow less human than their masters and thus less deserving of basic human rights.
Booker T would not have been happy with the assault against truth, what is right, and good that is taking place in places like Florida and Texas. Instead of stating that Florida is the place where “woke” goes to die, perhaps Booker T would have said that Florida is the place where the truth goes to die.
Jack’s admonition that we must each stand up for the truth has never been more important. Elections are being won based upon lies. Laws are being written based upon lies. Freedoms are being stripped away, based upon lies. The insanity of gun-related deaths is being protected based upon lies. As a popular TV show used to say in its tag line – “The truth is out there”. It is incumbent upon each of us to find it and to defend it.
There are elections coming up which once again give us the opportunity to vote for people who will base their power to govern on the truth and not just on beliefs or lies. At a minimum you must voted based upon the truth. At best you will work with others to insure that the candidates espousing the truth will win.
The truth is out there. Vote for the truth.
NormsMilfordBlog 