Thinking Out Loud: Dare to Speak the Truth

Today’s Thinking Out Loud reflection is on Boris Pasternack’s  work, Dr. Zhivago.

“Ordinarily, people are anxious to test their theories in practice, to learn from experience, but those who wield power are so anxious to establish the myth of their own infallibility that they turn back on truth as squarely as they can. Politics mean nothing to me. I don’t like people who are indifferent to the truth.”

Note: Searching for and speaking the truth is a dangerous journey. Historically, people who have dared speak the truth are martyred. The adage “the truth hurts”  often does to the one speaking the truth. They are guilty of naming what is happening, of cutting away the fog from the evil that is being committed in the name of truth. It happens at a national level where tyrants name the truth and those who speak out claiming that the truth spoken by the tyrant is a lie are destroyed. It happens in every social unit where there is oppression. When someone confronts the oppressor with the truth, the oppressor strikes out, often violently. Grateful for the courageous people who dare to speak the truth because the truth to them is more important than the threats from the oppressor.

Leave a Reply