I believe there are five levels to the truth but before I go there I want to say something very clearly about the truth. It never hurts. Truth is not judgement. Truth is not brutal. Violence is brutal. Anger can be brutal. The truth is not. I am tired of people giving truth a bad name by using it as a disguise for their vitriolic temperaments. Now that I have spoken it out loud I feel better. That often happens when we tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

So first of all let’s separate fact from fiction. What I believe to be true and what you believe to be true can be different even though we saw the same thing and neither of us lying. In other words truth has a lot to do with our perception and perspective on the matter. Let me give a simple example. You and I are having a conversation as we are walking along the street. Suddenly we hear tires screeching and that dreadful thud that accompanies a car accident. You look to the right and up the block I look to the right but immediately in front of me because a piece of the headlight has rolled close to our position. Already our perspectives have changed. You stepped in front of me to get a better look and are looking at the little girl in the second cars back window and thinking of your own daughter. I am looking at the other car where there is an older woman struggling to get out of her seat-belt. We are not creating different versions of the truth, we are simply observing it through our own lens and with our own emotions involved. This is important because there is no such thing as the absolute truth. There is only our recollection and perspective on the matter.

That being said I believe there are five levels of truth to aspire too. We aspire to them because it makes us more authentic and also because it helps up relate better to the world and to each other. In a nutshell the five levels are:

Level 1 – tell the truth to yourself about yourself
Level 2 – tell the truth about yourself to another
Level 3 – tell the truth about another to yourself
Level 4 – tell the truth about the other to the other
Level 5 – tell the truth to everyone about everything.

This is a daunting task. It is not something that is natural for us nor easy for us to do. The truth may set us free but we have all been liars our whole life. Oh stop gasping and looking at me with such feigned surprise. You lied today about something I believe. Remember? You were asked if you liked that  “whatsamawhosit thingy” and you said “yes” when you thought it was hideous. A little white lie never hurt anybody is, I believe, the appropriate turn of phrase. Oh what a wicked web we weave when at first we do deceive…smile.

When we make a commitment to step into our truth then even the little white lies can seem inauthentic. But I am not here to tell you at what level to set the bar of your honest sharing. I am here to tell you that I have had fun experimenting and delving into the truth. I have to remind myself that my truth is simply that and not the “real” truth. Also I remind myself there is always a gentle way to say the truth and even when it seems harmless it is always better for me to tell the truth, first to myself and then to others. So now decide whether you want to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you _______ (insert deity or piety of your choice).