Recently I have had to cut a family member (we will call him Bruce) from my life whom I love dearly. Truth, or lack there of, was the reason why I had to do this. As Thomas Fuller said “craft must have clothes, but truth loves to go naked.” I lost Bruce in those many layers of clothing; he became so covered up I could not see him anymore.
Basically he took something without informing me. Once I found out, I confronted him. Instead of being honest and telling the truth, he made excuses. He put layer upon layer of excuses over just being honest. The quote by Fuller struck a cord with me because had Bruce gone naked instead of crafting lies the situation would have ended in a different matter.
Now I feel as if he is unable to be trusted and to have him as a family member makes it more difficult. Family members are supposed to love each other, which leads me to the next quote by Henry David Thoreau “ between whom there is hearty truth, there is love.” Before confronting Bruce I thought to myself that if he truly cared and loved me he would admit to what he had done. Instead I got what others told me I would receive, lies. I believe in what Thoreau said because love is compassion for others, which I feel runs a parallel line with truth. If you truly care for someone would, or better yet could, you lie to them? Of course not, it would only push them further away.
Personally when I tell a lie I feel awful, sick almost. It is hard to sleep because it is forever on my mind. That is why I feel it is better to just tell the truth right away even if it is difficult and may hurt someone. It will only get worse if you don’t. In talking with my other family members I have heard that Bruce talks of this situation quite often because he cannot forget it. Mark Twain puts it perfectly “if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”
