SaturDais: The Truth of Deceit

The Truth of Deceit

By: Moses Garcia

     Some days ago, when waking from a dream, I seemed to hear the words “truth will be fruitful, but deceit shall not prosper.” If I’m not mistaken, the phrase is a variation or a different version of what is written in the proverbs, and possibly in other philosophy books from different cultures.

     But, why dream it? Could it be that this is a frequent theme of reflection? In private thought or within discussion of politics in news programs, there is much to say, read, and ponder about deceit and those who would prosper from it. There is so much of it, that one could easily become stuck, looking at and focusing solely on unseemly details. That is to say, you could spend a great deal of time going over accounts of businesses that exploit both workers and consumers, and a great part of that is the use of deceit. Surely reports of huge businesses that buy products manufactured in countries where they pay very little for labor and employ children will continue.

     There are heavy moments of frustration, evaluating personal efforts in noble industry, with honesty and arduous dedication, when contrasted to the deceit used by bad business of noted discussions. We tend to share our complaints and observations with friends and family regarding this kind of thing. And you could say that fundamentally it is good to vent and get this kind of thing of your chest. The danger is turning that venting into a fountain of negativity. In the end, outside of acting as a representative in the political arena, there is no reason to anchor ourselves in this type of thoughts and discussions.

     The important thing to understand is that the universe has its way. Even though we may not see the effects, every action has its corresponding reaction. If someone deserves punishment, sooner or later the punishment will be dealt in one way or another, even if no one is there to witness the event. Those who proceed in evil, eventually the evil will catch up to them. Therefore we needn't worry, fret, or insist in seeing what goes on with others. We have quite enough to worry about in doing good, and trying to help others whenever possible.

     Well, ideally we would focus on self-improvement, and looking to see what we can do or how we can contribute to help those who are in need.

     Among the words of Christ, in a sermon he admonishes: “…when you saw me sick, you did not heal me; when you saw me hungry, you did not feed me…” to which we would reply: “but Lord, when did we see you sick or hungry?” For me, his answer represents the ultimate when calling one’s self a “Christian.” And that answer is: “As you have done or not done with the least of these, so you have done to me.”