I was recently watching the movie Big, Fat Liar and heard the protagonist
trying to drive home the message loud and clear: Truth is not overrated! Well,
it may be good to listen to such patronizing on screen but off screen life is
just a sum up of fuck ups.
As far as I can see, Truth is definitely
overrated, truth is dangerous, truth will only bring harm to people who choose
to be truthful. People who want to stand by their conviction and choose to be
honest and tell the truth will end up paying a heavy price. Like Rohith Vemula who
couldn't bear the reality of the hurt that truth and his convictions caused
him. And he's not alone. I'm reminded of all those RTI activists and sincere
bureaucrats who get threatened or killed for choosing to stick to the truth.
So, what happens if one chooses to speak the
truth? It leads to much negativity and bad blood, of course! Haven’t we learned
the lesson even after watching popular Telugu movie April 1 Vidudala where the ever-lying hero chooses to
tell the truth at the behest of the girl he’s in love with – she sets a
condition that he has to speak ONLY the truth for a month if she has to agree
to marry him. And that condition which he decides to oblige blissfully unaware
of the consequences puts his life at risk. Still, just to ensure his lady love
relents to marry him, he chooses to stick to the truth and turns his
murderer-friend his arch enemy. Finally, the girl is impressed with his
honesty, regrets her condition and decides to marry him.
Now, is that the power of truth? Is it okay to
think “All is well that ends well?” As this was just a movie, it was okay for
the hero to stick to the truth till the end – because every movie has an end,
usually a happy end, but in life there’s no end and The End means THE END of
life or relationship. Movies may be a reflection of life’s realities, but life
is not a movie.
And it’s my sincere suggestion people – before
you confess and admit to wrong-doing or decide to give in to guilt feelings or
feel convinced that truth is a virtue and it’s always better to speak the
truth, think again! You may end up paying a heavy price, sometimes with your
own life maybe! Like Rohith; like IAS officer D.K. Ravi; like the 39-40 RTI
activists who got killed or the 275 who were assaulted! And you’ll end up being
a body and a number.
So, think carefully and think again, and again,
and again – because Truth is Overrated!
