just don't lie to me.

have you ever... no, strike that.  how many times in a given day do you have the sense we don't live in an honest society?  to be clear, i don't wish to come at any specific group or individual, or even build a defense, but i've felt this way for years.  YEARS.

this isn't to say people are always being consciously dishonest, rather a legitimate attempt to expand on the adage "things are often not what they seem."

in your opinion, what is it that prevents people from communicating in the most straight-forward manner possible?  every now and again you'll discover somebody who seems to not be fraught with this challenge, but usually they're either in tight with a few people or have pissed off the greater majority of others.  why?  while i can only offer my perspective, i contend it's because that person isn't scared to call things as they see them, and that level of self expression tends to sometimes come at the expense of other peoples' feelings.  let's play with that notion for a second.  if what somebody is saying is entirely true (so far as we can tell), why would our possible reaction be combative?  what exactly are we protecting?  does it have less to do with the words themselves and more with the delivery?  i can't say for sure, but i'm interested to hear your take.

i, for one, generally relish opportunities to get beyond that iron clad wall.  it cuts to the quick, but not exclusively.  one can be a wordsmith and still maintain a direct honest course, only their potential audience may become fewer as a result.  to my own admission, that's me.  not only do i know this to be true, but people affirm such on a regular basis.  i'm ok with it, for the most part.  i know where my heart is, and i don't try and get caught up the minutia of justification.

for example, all of this has been the "lead in" if you will, and some of you are thinking get to the damn point already.  i know this, and again... i'm ok with it.  sometimes, the point is more about the dialogue itself.  i don't necessarily have an ax to grind here, just find myself wrapped in the dissonance a bit too often to keep quiet.

would you like some specific examples?  thought you might, so take for instance a couple different ones...

let's talk briefly about religion, shall we?  my observation (especially in the past 5 years) has been well documented so for some of you this won't be anything new.  for the rest, i find the more time (in general) i spend with those who might overtly consider themselves religious, the more i don't (and won't) find comfort in seeing myself as the same.  i thank God for everything i have in life, and subsequently love Jesus for all i believe Him to be... but religion simply isn't for me.  i prefer to be given what others perceive to be true and afforded time to consider those possibilities myself.  that, my friends, to me, is the element of faith.  i cringe when i ask somebody about biblical history and they suggest belief in something simply because it's been recorded/authored for others' educational and life application benefit.  why is it so difficult to admit we CANNOT possibly know everything is true that's been handed down from one generation to the next.  when i'm asked questions about my beliefs, i'm fairly quick (in my opinion) to say i believe something is true and that's how i'm choosing to live my life (for example, by emulating Jesus' teachings) but that's just it... I CHOOSE.

ok, now let's touch on war for a moment.  i know, i know... but hang with me.  it's entirely fine for people to believe our dealings overseas have been justified (even to the extent they might defend the ridiculous amount of time/resources its taken) but how can one possibly say they have proof?  a statement of support is not an absolute, it's opinion, just the same as somebody who may speak against it.  we were told (and that's where the potential lies may have begun, at least in this instance) the conflict was waged entirely on the risk of nuclear weapons.  ok... where are they?  to my knowledge there has been no trace of WMDs to the extent may have been reported, if any, period.  why is it wrong to suggest our men and women may be fighting a senseless battle and losing their lives over fabricated propaganda?  i understand that would be difficult for families to accept that may have a loved one (or more) representing our country's armed forces, but IF it is true... why not admit it and move forward?

this just scratches the surface, but it's all i have time for right now.  i'll try and unpack this in the coming days/weeks as time allows.  for now, if nothing else... consider why some are attempt to justify these and other topics by cloaking themselves in righteousness.  said differently, we may have the tendency to hide what we really feel in favor of popular opinion, and my sense is this is motivated by fear... perhaps of being misunderstood, offending others, or possibly a case of searching for the right words.  do we feel we have too much to lose?  what skin do we have in the game, so to speak, and is it preventing us from exhibiting behavior that best represents our heart?

whatever truth you may believe... if something can legitimately be proven (factual, with no holes) ...stop lying to yourself (and me).

[originally written 08.16.13, resurrected 09.09.20] -- now we're just facing different (but similar) worldwide problems.