The truth does not set you free

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If the truth sets you free, why do I feel like I get into more trouble when I do tell the truth? It feels like when I tell the truth, all I'm doing is making my situation worse. I was under the impression that the truth would get you out of trouble, but obviously, that's not the case.

The punch line to life is that we live in a neurotypically normative world where the neurotypical population enjoys sayings from which they can derive feelings of warm fuzzy comfort even when said sayings are instantly documentable as non-truth.

For instance:

"Butterflies can't see their own wings"
Oh?
Really?
https://www.butterflyfarms.org/curiouse ... g-friends/

and

"A flower does not think of competing with other flowers in the garden, it just blooms"
Oh?
Really?



Plant Biol (Stuttg)
. 2016 Jan;18(1):56-62.
doi: 10.1111/plb.12328. Epub 2015 Apr 16.
Competition for pollinators and intra-communal spectral dissimilarity of flowers
C J van der Kooi 1 2 , I Pen 3 , M Staal 1 , D G Stavenga 2 , J T M Elzenga 1

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25754608/

------------------
Can Plants Think? by Adriana Gallego, PhD



https://goldbio.com/articles/article/Can-Plants-Think

I understand the NT side of this because I don't like harsh truths either. I prefer things to be sugarcoated, or even falsified (but plausible of course, as I'm not completely stupid), and done with compassionate reassurance.

My mum was a pessimist and she'd say the harsh truth in a very stoic way, which often caused me to have immense panic attacks (literally screaming and freaking out). I hated when my mum was that honest, but I don't think she meant to be, she was just as worried as I was but obviously handled it a bit more maturely than I did.

Because most people want comforting illusions and deceptions, not freedom.

I really don't think telling the truth at all times is a good idea. Sometimes people just don't deserve it. And there's a place for discretion with regard to the right time and place and the right person. Acquiring the truth may be a better idea, but even then it won't necessarily make you any happier, and it might make you feel worse. I wouldn't want to know the date and time of my death, even though in practical terms it would be valuable information. I just dislike lying, for reasons unknown.

There are times when telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth will get you in more trouble than saying nothing at all.

For instance, telling the truth about global warming (cause by burning fossil fuels) and COVID-19 (caused by a coronavirus) will not only get you accused of being a liar and a "shill" for some imaginary conspiracy, but it could also attract threats of violence and death.

Intelligent school-children quickly learn to dumb-down their answers during class discussions, if they even raise their hands at all.  Why?  Other kids, who do not know the answers, take it as a personal attack when corrected, and will accuse the smarter kids of cheating to get good grades -- their own accusations being all the 'proof' they need to justify assaulting and beating the smarter kids.

Even back when Science was mostly a philosophical exercise, someone who correctly predicted a comet or an eclipse, or correctly predicting the death of a king in combat could be accused of causing the event, especially if they already had a sorcerous reputation.

HOWEVER, knowing the truth and using it to your own advantage and/or the detriment of others is a useful social skill, especially on the job or when working within a group.  When you are the only one working on a research paper for engineering class while your team-mates are out getting drunk and having fun, and you hand them the first draft of your report while turning in the finished product yourself earns you the 'A' and an 'Incomplete' for the others.  Of course, it helps to inform the professor of what is going on, and keeping that professor informed every step of the way.

The Truth will set you free... but first it will piss you off (and possibly everyone around you at times)

"The truth will set you free" doesn't mean it will get you out of trouble or that you'll be free of social repercussions. It means it will set you free from having to lie, or remember a series of lies, or carry that moral burden. Ideally if we live our lives expecting to tell the truth, it will also help to curb our behaviour so that we won't have anything troublesome to be honest about when being truthful.

The truth WILL set you free, if you use it wisely.

The truth will set you free applies to times when you have been hiding something painful or shameful, that is burdening you, or are carrying a secret that is burdening you. Then you can set yourself free by letting it out (provided it's in a safe context, which is very important).

It doesn't mean you should always tell the truth about relatively unimportant matters that will just get you in trouble if you do.

Yes, this!

The origin of the quote is biblical (John 8:32), and refers to the notion that if you "believe" and become a "disciple of Jesus" then you will learn "the truth" which will "liberate you from the bondage of sin." So it's not about telling the truth, it's about receiving some special form of the truth, supposedly. I suppose a person who bought into the notions of original sin and salvation through the Messiah would consider it meaningful. My view is that it's probably just a bit of marketing for Christianity that suggests in a rather vague and mysterious way that unbelievers are somehow in the dark and in some kind of bondage that's never been explained clearly and rationally.

The CIA has co-opted it as their slogan. I suppose they mean it to justify their surveillance activities. Again, I don't think it adds up.

When I first asked, I was curious how if the truth sets you free, how come it doesn't absolve you of any guilt you may have? If you confess, you will still get in trouble.

Like I said, use the truth wisely.

If the only significant difference between telling the truth and keeping silent is that you get in trouble for being truthful, then keep your mouth shut!  If 'they' say they know who did it, that they are giving the person a chance to come clean, and that the penalties will be less severe if the person confesses, do not believe them!  They do not know, and they are hoping someone will fall for their lie and confess.

"We know all about you; we just need your confession" means "We do not have enough to convict anyone (you) unless someone (you) claims they (you) did it."

You have the right to remain silent, use it!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_tru ... t_you_free

The expression is not about telling the truth. We already have "honesty is the best policy" to cover that. Nothing to do with that.

Its about learning the truth. Or becoming aware of, or accepting a truth.

Like... the Black folks of Texas in 1865 learning the "truth" that "Lincoln had already abolished slavery two years ago" set them free (literally). To take an extreme example. A moment in history some are celebrating this very day.

As someone above said it comes from the Bible. The truth in question being faith in God. Though it can be used in secular settings. Like learning about yourself in therapy might set you free of some neurosis.

However the issues you raise may well apply to the other expression: "honesty is the best policy".

Maybe it is the best policy, maybe it aint always.

Honesty about a wrong doing you did? What Fnord said...sometimes honesty...sometimes silence.