Fr. Roy Cimagala
THE way our political atmosphere is brewing these days, we need to know these phenomena and learn to distinguish them from each other as sharply as possible. Hypocrisy, discretion and sincerity are all related to the ultimate value of truth which cannot be truth if it goes without charity.
Truth and charity are actually inseparable, and have a universal coverage. If they fail to serve the common good, and instead work only for some particular or self-interest, then they are not really truth and charity, but only some caricatures.
Yes, we need to promote truth always, defend and protect it especially if it is under attack, whether openly or in a hidden, subtle way. But we have to avoid hypocrisy, and instead continue to grow as earnestly as possible in sincerity and discretion, more so now that we are in some confusing and complicated times.
To be sure, truthfulness is not just a matter of blabbering some facts and data. A child can also easily do that, but he need not be that truthful because it might be a piece of data that is out of place.
Whatever serious truth he manages to say may be useful in some special circumstances. Generally, however, we do not take what he says seriously. More than anything else, we most likely would simply be amused by what he says.
People who are drunk or under the influence of drugs or hypnosis may neither be that truthful because any data and fact they give is clearly done without the proper use of their senses, let alone, their reason. Of course, their giving some facts or data may be useful, but this does not mean that they are truthful.
People with ulterior motives like some politicians, businessmen, etc., may also manage to give some facts and data, but they are not necessarily being sincere and truthful. They do so not so much for the common good as for their own interests.
Of course, madmen, no matter how detached even from the most immediate and tangible reality, can also manage to say some facts and data. But we would be hard put to know which is fact and which is fantasy, since in their state of mind, these two things can get mixed up. We have to do a lot of sifting, discerning, if not correcting.
To be sincere and truthful is a matter first of all of being with God, of having a vital relation with him, since he is the
Truth himself, the author and maker of reality. Without him, our effort to know the truth would be undermined.
With him, our pursuit for the truth will always go with charity. And given our human condition that is marked with our frailties and limitations, it will also go with prudence and discretion. We would know what to say, when, how and to whom to say, etc.
Without him, our pursuit for the truth would most likely be simply based on what is sensible and intelligible alone. In that condition, truth-seeking and truth-affirming would be at the mercy of our human frailties and limitations, not to mention our ulterior motives and our tendency to play games, if not to get into the dynamics of malice, self-interest, greed, etc.
We can be indiscreet, as when we gossip, engage in idle talk and loquacity, and tell secrets unnecessarily or without due reason. Or we can openly attack people, spew threats and engage in blackmail. This is the basic element that can undermine peace, law and order in society. Uncorrected and going ballistic, it can lead to social disintegration.
Hypocrisy and all kinds of pretenses to deceive others or to take undue advantage of others and situations will grow like cancer. Inconvenient truths are shunned, while sweet lies are cultivated.
Discretion may look like hypocrisy but it is a completely different banana. Some facts and data may be withheld not to deceive others nor to take advantage of them. It’s rather done out of charity, since certain conditions and circumstances dictate that certain truths, secrets, facts and data need not be said, at least, as of the moment.
Discretion requires great discipline. In this regard, I would like to remit what St. James in his letter said about our tongue that is so relevant to this topic. “The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body... For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed, but no human being can tame the tongue... With it we bless and the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men…”
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
