Mind Restructuring: Power Of Truth And The Consequences Of Falsehood -By Richard Odusanya

It was Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian naturalized British Jewish, an archetype, author and journalist, who once said: “The ultimate truth is penultimately always a falsehood. He who will be proved right in the end appears to be wrong and harmful before it.” – Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour said, “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free…” – truth is a powerful weapon, speaking truth to power is a non-violent tactic. It is permissible in democratic system that is not polluted.

Truth telling as a means for self discovery and healing. Truth telling is about more than honesty; it yields a deeper understanding of self and elevates self-esteem. It’s hard to make any real progress on the journey of self-discovering, self-realization, self-development and healing without telling the truth. We have to tell the truth to understand what’s going on with us, which includes the ability to reflect critically on situations and be truthful to ourselves. Herein lies the desirability of the grace to be truthful about all things.

The place of the truth was further accentuated by the actions of our global iconic figure and African hero Ta-ta Madiba’ Nelson Mandela, when in his wisdom, he set up the TRUTH and RECONCILIATION commission for the healing and reconciliation in South Africa. It was also replicated in Kenya by the current president Uhuru Kenyatta, which also recorded unimaginable success. The aforementioned, also contributed to my resolves, and a great motivation for all that I have been doing in the past few years. Although it has been very challenging and tough, given the kind of society that we live in, a society that functions on deceitfulness, lies and fallacies where truth is a complete stranger.

The truth is sacrosanct, constant and consistent. Conscience is an open wound only the truth can heal it. It is very important for us to be able to express our honest feelings, thoughts and perceptions…we don’t want to be codependent and conceal our feelings in order to protect or placate others. Intimacy cannot thrive in a climate of emotional dishonesty and inauthenticity. So far, it has been proven that; truth and money are two competing gods. You can’t serve both with equal favour, this is the real reason why many people are unable to stand up for the truth.

At the risk of sounding immodest; I am a man who believe so much in the verdict of history, verdict of posterity and the judgment of God Almighty. I am intentional about the truth. The one who has been able to leverage on his rejection, griefs, loses, pains and convert them into advancement. I dare say that– it is time for strategic engagement. Enough of hiding behind one finger, enough of playing the ostrich. As a nation in crisis, let us all be mindful of the consequences of our actions and inactions, as we continue to appeal to the conscience of our leaders through the instrumentality of Mind Restructuring. It is a clarion call and a call to duty.

On the other hand, falsehood has its consequences– lying has its benefits…lying can be cognitively depleting, it can increase the risk that people will be punished innocently, it can frustrate people; it can reduce people’s self-worthy; it can prevent people from seeing themselves as “good” people; it can generally erode trust in the society.

Falsehood is always harmful, never beneficial. Even when somebody has good intentions for not being honest, an act of deceitfulness and lies can result in decreased sense of trust. In many situation dishonesty, greed, falsehood and self-centered mentality lead to a tarnished reputation of others. It is ungodly, sadistic and evil. This is the core reason why we are were we are today as nation.

ARISE ‘O COMPATRIOTS

Richard Odusanya is a Social Reform Crusader and the convener of AFRICA COVENANT RESCUE INITIATIVE ACRI