My dear friend and mentor Frank was laid to rest a year ago this past weekend. It’s been 12 months we’d all probably like to forget. Frank was born in Pennsylvania and for a time worked in Philadelphia. I can’t help but wonder what he would say about all that has transpired during the last several weeks in his beloved state.
I found this quote from Charles Colton which seems appropriate for our times.
“The greatest friend of truth is is time, her greatest enemy is prejudice and her constant companion is humility.”
I hold this quote as a beacon of hope to my future and the future of this country. Sometimes I feel like the beacon is very faint. But any pica of light provides hope. This quote motivates me to be a seeker of truth. A commodity which appears to be in rare existence. I frequently ask myself these type of questions
- What is the truth?
- “Who is telling the truth?”
- How does anyone know what to believe?
- If I don’t agree with you does that make me automatically wrong?
I’m to the point where I believe half of what I see, a quarter of what I read and even less of what I hear.
I never had to question what Frank told me. He always spoke the truth. Often times it was with a heaping spoonful of grace. Reflecting back on those bygone days lifts my spirits in some respects. Yes, there was a time when you could believe what someone said or wrote.
As I’ve shared before, Frank taught me there are no levels of integrity. You either have it or you don’t. If you lie in 1967 or 1987 but assure people in 2020 you are telling the truth how do they know you really are? Yes, people do change, criminals are rehabilitated and many individuals see the errors of their ways. But I believe, by-in-large, the stripes stay on the zebra.
What do you do…
- When facts don’t seem to matter.
- If you don’t trust sources of information.
- When information shared by the media, medical experts or representatives of the different branches of our government are proven false or misleading.
Where do you go from that point?
Speaking only for myself, I’ve always said “there are no stupid questions, only stupid answers.” I plan to keep asking questions. I will continue to challenge information that comes to me. If I trust the information I will verify it. We’ve been fooled too frequently for too long.
Human beings are put into positions of power for their knowledge, communication and leadership skills. That doesn’t mean they deserve their status or leadership role. Rather it means they need to be held to the highest standard of integrity and truth.
We can be disappointed, demoralized or disgusted. Or we can be diligent, determined and driven to hold others to that high standard.
As a seeker of the truth and a citizen of this nation it is my duty to hold people with information, expertise and power accountable for their decisions and their remarks.
We all have that duty. It’s now more apparent than ever. I’m certain Frank would agree.
Until next time…