"The Prime Minister has issued a warning – those who spread untruths and slander on the Internet will face the law.If information in blogs, websites and online portals were incorrect, bordered on slander, caused disturbance or compelled the public to lose faith in the nation’s economic policies, their authors would be detained for investigation, said Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi."
The Star, Wed, Aug 02 2006
On any given issue, is it easier to prove you are telling the truth or, is it easier to prove that another person is telling untruth?
I told you so, sooner or later Pak Lah is going to be an
'in your face type of person'.Here is something about 'Truth and Untruth'. Its a bit lengthy, but worth the read.
The world seeks the truth and success follows truth. But the nature of truth needs to be understood. People become relentless in trying to prove and adhere to their truth. Do not insist on truth. If someone questions your truth or opposes your truth then you should realize there is something wrong with your truth. What is the nature of truth? When is any truth a truth? It is not enough that we just look at the truth. Exact truth should have four components. It should be true (satya), accepted by the others (priya), beneficial to others (hita), and short in expression (mita). When all four of these components are present then only it is called truth. If not, then the so-called truth becomes an untruth.Naked truth is unsuitable in worldly dealings and should be avoided as it hurts others. Naked truth means to say the truth as it is without the other three components above. This is an example of naked truth. When you say to your mother, 'You are my father's wife.' Is it appropriate to say that? It is true but she will be upset and therefore truth becomes an untruth.Secondly truth that is spoken should be pleasant to the one who hears it. Then only he or she will accept it. If words of truth hurt the other person it becomes an untruth. Persistently hanging on to one’s truth turns it into an untruth. It is not truth when people are hanging on to its tail. Truth means that it should be acceptable and agreeable to others.If you say, ‘Hey, you blind man, come here?’ Would he like that? And if you ask him politely, ‘Sir, how did you lose your eyes?’ Would he reply or not? Calling him a blind man is the kind of truth will hurt him. This is just an example. So truth that is spoken will have to be agreeable to the other party. Truth that is not agreeable to others cannot be considered a truth. If you address an elderly lady, you should call her, ‘maaji’ (dear mother - respectful way of addressing the elders). If you call her a ‘dosi’ (old woman - derogative way of addressing the elders) she will not appreciate it. Even though she may be seventy-eight years old, she will not appreciate being called a 'dosi', because she will feel insulted. So call her ‘maaji’ and she will be happy because it sounds good and she will also serve you readily.The third component of truth in spoken words is that it must be beneficial to the other. This is very important and one needs to exercise care here before expressing it, no matter how true one considers one’s truth to be. What good is it, if it is not beneficial to others? If the village pond becomes filled with water, you tell a young child whom you want to stay away from falling in, ‘There is a witch who lives near the pond, and she does a lot of bad things…' you have uttered an untruth. This untruth becomes a truth because it is beneficial to the child.There are times when you may say something that is beneficial to the other and you therefore utter the truth. If it lacks the other components of being pleasant and acceptable to him or her, the truth will be rejected and therefore it becomes untrue.Therefore if it is not acceptable and pleasant to the other person your truth becomes an untruth.The final and fourth component of truth that is uttered is that it must be short and said in few words. Endless discourse and diatribe hanging on to your version of your truth is wrong and becomes an untruth. It makes your truth ugly.Let us take an event where you have said your truth in a pleasant manner and it is accepted by the other person because it is beneficial to him or her. This person also tells you that he appreciates these words from you, by saying, ‘Thank you very much; I understand what you are telling me. I accept your viewpoint and advice and I have to go now to attend to other matters’. Then you tell him, ‘No, wait you can’t go. Hear all that I have to say. You must hear me out.' Then your truth has become an untruth. All your words go down the drain.The fourth component of truth and that is that it must be short and simple. It should be within limits. It is not considered truth if it is not said in a few words. Otherwise the other person will find it cumbersome. Do not be like a radio when telling your truth. The radio is better because it can be shut off by the push of a button, whereas these living radios are difficult to turn off and they end up converting truths into untruths. Such words come through the medium of the ego and hence they become unacceptable, regardless of the nature of the truth expressed. It will be considered truth when it is within normality.Mita means that only the amount of speech that pleases the other person is spoken. If the other person feels that it is too much, then it should be stopped.Insistence on any truth makes it an untruth. Speech is beyond truth and untruth. If one chooses to make it the truth he can and if he chooses to make it an untruth he can do that too. Neither can be spoken with obstinacy. It becomes poisonous if spoken with obstinacy. The writers of scriptures say that the scriptures of this world become untrue if there is insistence on their truth and they become true when there is no insistence. If you insist that truth is truth, it will become an untruth.Therefore discard all fight about truth and untruth. People quarrel and end up taking the matter to court. We on the other hand are not sitting in court. The only thing we have to look out for is that no one gets hurt. If by speaking the truth we hurt someone, then we do not know how to talk. Truth in worldly life interactions has a new meaning. Truth means not to hurt a single living being through your thoughts, speech and acts. That is the final truth. This is the real truth.
.....please, keep layering the yellow butter paper
