If telling the truth were as easy and pleasant as Bulgakov’s hero claimed, then the language would probably have the expression “ sweet truth" However, no, only lies are sweet for us. As we know, only the bitter truth can be better than that.
Why is the truth bitter?
Most often, the truth turns out to be bitter because it contains unexpected information or speaks about something that a person is afraid to admit to himself. Let’s say management calls the cartographer and says: “Ivan Ivanovich, are you aware that the earth is flat and rests on three pillars?” And then 10 minutes later another call would ring: “Hello, Vanya, it’s me, your brother, lost in childhood.” What do these two messages have in common? The answer “April 1” does not count. The fact is that both phone calls change the picture of the world of the unfortunate Ivan Ivanovich, and radically.
Each of us has a picture of the world. It is formed and confirmed by the experiences that we receive every day. For example, the fact that dogs love you, that if you light a cigarette at a bus stop, a bus will come right away, or that a DEZ worker issues certificates only for a box of chocolates - these are signs of your picture of the world. Each person’s picture of the world includes not only ideas about those around him, but also ideas about himself, about his own relationships with others, about his place in this world. And suddenly some monstrous contradiction arises, like a dust bag hit the head...
For most, redrawing their own picture of the world is not only a long, but also painful process. It turns out that a situation in which a person is “happy to be deceived” often becomes our defensive reaction.
The bitter truth is like a poisonous plant
Growing conditions. The bitter truth is unpretentious. To grow it, you only need one thing: the presence of initial distorted information. Moreover, it does not matter for what reasons it was distorted - intentionally or accidentally. Favorable soil for the growth of bitter truths are omissions, the desire to protect others from troubles, the fear of being misunderstood, the discrepancy between one’s ideal self and the real state of affairs.
What do you least want to know?
Facts that influence our self-esteem.
Unpleasant discoveries in personal life - when a person discovers that he has been deceived about the qualities of a loved one or the circumstances surrounding him.
Unflattering information about close relatives.
Information concerning our health.
About the so-called figures of silence: this is the truth, seemingly known to everyone, but to which everyone carefully turned a blind eye before its publication.
Distribution area. Can grow anywhere: in interpersonal relationships, both in work and in assessing events - in all aspects that make up our picture of the world.
Signs of poisoning. What is at risk when we discover the bitter truth? Firstly, our picture of the world is changing. Secondly, relationships with a truth-teller may turn out to be hopelessly damaged. Thirdly, the bitter truth can seriously affect our self-esteem, and in some cases even unsettle us for a long time.
Healthy dishes based on the bitter truth
Whether to tell the bitter truth or keep it to yourself is an eternal question. Opponents of dumping the bitter truth on the interlocutor usually cite the example of seriously ill people who, having learned their diagnosis, completely lost the will to live. But lovers of the bitter truth will certainly like the plot of one of Maupassant's stories, the heroine of which borrowed a diamond necklace from a wealthy friend, and, having sparkled and danced at a party, discovered that she had lost the jewelry. Horrified, she makes every effort to urgently borrow money, buy the same necklace and return it to her friend without scandal. She devotes her entire life to paying off debts to creditors, and only many years later does she learn that the necklace she lost was fake. The plot, of course, is melodramatic, but the moral is clear: sometimes, out of fear of telling the truth, everything Life is going awry.
So there is no clear recipe for truth and lies. With the same terminally ill people, not everything is so simple. For example, it is known that several decades ago Solzhenitsyn overcame an oncological diagnosis largely due to the fact that he was harshly told: “He’s not a survivor.”
Therefore, operating with the bitter truth, you must follow several rules.
1. Assess your goals and upcoming results. That is, to ask the question: “To whom?
will there be any benefit from this truth? If you answer “I just can’t wait to open my eyes,” you will be counted among the ideological truth-tellers. The answer: “It will be useful, but only to me,” exposes you as a person who does not care at all about the interlocutor. In other words, it is better to speak the truth when the situation objectively demands it.
2. The degree of bitterness of the truth should be measured not by oneself, but by the one to whom it is addressed.
3. Take into account the characteristics of the physical and mental state of the person being enlightened. There is no need to worry a person close to a nervous breakdown unless absolutely necessary.
In addition, it is better to clearly understand that a deceiver (including those who deceive with good intentions), like a fighter for truth at any cost, is driven by his own understanding of the situation, which may turn out to be true only in one instance or a completely incorrect assessment. A historical anecdote says: “They wanted to tell Socrates something about his student. Then Socrates asked: “Will this help me, benefit me, or teach me?” They told him no, and the philosopher did not want to listen. So he never found out about his wife’s betrayal.” Sometimes it happens.
Olesya Sosnitskaya
/ / / What's better " sweet lie"or the "bitter" truth? (based on Gorky’s play “At the Lower Depths”)What is better “sweet lies” or “bitter truth”? I think everyone will have their own answer to this question. In the play "" Maxim Gorky raises before us the same problem of "sweet lies" and "bitter truth", but does not directly answer the question posed.
It seems to me that for the heroes of the play “At the Bottom” the “sweet lie” turned out to be better than the “bitter truth”, because it gave them hope for a better life.
All of them: Satin, Kleshch, Actor, Bubnov, Nastya themselves wanted to be at the bottom of their lives, they themselves chose their family. Gorky shows them as people deprived of dreams and goals in life. They are simply wasting their lives in a stuffy shelter.
But everything changes with the arrival of old man Luke. He became a kind of catalyst, pushing everyone to action. By showing compassion and comforting them, Luke gave many people hope for a better life. It is amazing how in a very short time, thanks to warm words, he gained a huge influence on the characters in the play. For example, he was able to calm the dying Anna by telling her about better life in the afterlife. The girl dies with a certain hope, with the belief that in the next world she will have a comfortable life, devoid of suffering and deprivation.
The former employee of the Actor Theater did not go unnoticed by Luke. The old man showed him that not everything is lost, that everything can be returned. He also gave him hope for new life. Unfortunately, this was not destined to happen. Hope can be lost as quickly as you gained it.
It seems to me that the Actor committed suicide not through Luke’s fault. This happened due to weakness of spirit and lack of self-confidence. Luke wanted with his compassion to at least somehow brighten up the difficult fate of the heroes of the work. He did not show them the real order of things again, thereby pushing them even further; he would not have changed anything by doing so. Thanks to his “sweet lies,” he wanted to show them that there is a way up, you just have to believe in yourself.
In the play, Gorky shows us his negative attitude towards lies; he does not advise living in dreams and illusions. But, despite this, the words of old man Luke had such an impact because they were “sown” in the soil of the illusions of the main characters.
Every person more than once in his life faced a choice: whether to reveal the true state of affairs or to embellish the situation if it would be more favorable in this case.
Let's speculate: what is better: a pleasant delusion or the pure truth, sometimes even of a sad nature.
Completely different events happen in life: joy is replaced by sadness, the smiles of Fortune alternate with certain obstacles.
Thinking about the relationship between what is happening and our thoughts and actions, one cannot help but notice one very important detail: No matter what, it is much preferable to know correct, truthful information than to enjoy pleasant but false information.
After all, if we begin to believe in a fairy tale, which, in fact, does not exist, then sooner or later this fact will make itself felt: one careless step can change fate in the absolutely opposite direction. Being in captivity of illusions, a person stops assessing the situation in real time. He sees only the outer shell of circumstances, not noticing the inner one and not paying attention to the “pitfalls” of this or that matter.
One of the most common misconceptions is often a misunderstanding of the feelings of other people. A veil of romantic inspiration envelops the eyes and sometimes does not allow one to understand how sincere the words of a loved one are.
We know the example of Sophia, the main character of the poem by A.S. Griboyedov. “Woe from Wit”, who, having fallen in love with Molchanin, a modest but selfish employee of the girl’s father, first accepts his romantic impulse as a gift of fate, which finally made her happy. But everything is revealed in one moment: after seeing the scene of the declaration of love between Molchanin and the sweet maid, Sophia realizes how wrong she was.
Disappointment is an indispensable companion of any delusion. The later the real picture of life becomes clearer, the more painful and difficult it is to accept the truth, understand its essence, and most importantly, change your life for the better.
In love, for example, sometimes it happens that we overestimate the sincerity of the chosen one’s intentions: perhaps his words are at odds with his actions.
So, being mistaken in some significant issue, we plunge into the world of illusions, and it, most likely, will not be able to lead us to the right path leading to success. On the one hand, in some cases a pleasant lie, or, as it is commonly called, a lie in the name of salvation, seems to be the only relevant solution. But, on the other hand, why mislead the people closest to us; By wishing them well in this way, we may be dooming them to unpleasant consequences: disappointment, resentment, sad thoughts.
Therefore, in our quest for a successful career and a harmonious atmosphere, we should not forget that all this can only be achieved if we clearly see the picture of events. If reality is clearly embellished, someday it will become known, the shadows will disappear, the secrets will be revealed.
According to Mark Twain, “When in doubt, tell the truth.” Indeed, you shouldn’t invent non-existent facts, because it’s up to you to unravel the threads of fate.
A pleasant delusion can only help for a while; it does not allow vital energy to be realized in full force, which means a person risks missing out on the unexpected gift of His Majesty Chance.
The illustration was found on the Internet.
“Children and fools always tell the truth,” says
ancient wisdom. The conclusion is clear: adults and
wise people never tell the truth.
Mark Twain
Literature teaches that only the truth holds the light. In Gorky’s “At the Lower Depths,” there are three types of it: the truth of life, the truth of fact, and the truth of faith in a person. And each hero defends his truth. Critics are still arguing about whose side Gorky is on, what truth does he stand for? Who is closer to him: Luke the Comforter or Satin with his slogans: “Man – that sounds proud!” After all, everyone is right in their own way. Most likely, the writer understands that each person has his own truth. That is why life resembles the Babylonian pandemonium. Everyone around speaks different languages, each in the language of his own truth.
All people seem to be looking for the truth, wanting it, achieving it. Although all they do is hide it, hide it, keep silent, do not distribute it, conceal it. How often do you tell the truth to your superiors? Friends - what do you really think about them? Have you at least told your loved ones the whole truth about yourself personally? The answers, I think, will most likely be negative. The truth is too bitter. It is like a medicine: it must be consumed in prescribed doses at certain intervals, and the dosage must be strictly observed. To be honest, no one is interested in the truth; they will bury it deeply to further their own interests.
Do you want to make more enemies? Then always, to everyone, under any circumstances, tell the truth. You're walking down the street, you see a fat man with a huge belly, come right up and tell him the truth that you don't like him appearance. Then, in the silence of the emergency room, you will be able to reflect on the meaning of the following aphorism by Mark Twain: “We like people who boldly tell us what they think, provided that they think the same as we do.”
Better yet, start fighting for the truth. Let's see what will happen to you as soon as possible after the start of the fight for justice. Very soon you will regret your initiative and ask yourself a question from Odessa: “Do I need it?”
A lie is a completely different matter. It's sweet, everyone likes to hear it, it's desirable if it's flattering. She can also be shy, selfless, crafty, unscrupulous, arrogant, but everyone tolerates her. Cheating is profitable because an honest player will always lose to the one who cheats. So what do you think is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie?
Students choose to lie on a subconscious level. In an essay based on Levitan’s painting “March. The beginning of spring” everyone wrote that this is their favorite artist, their favorite painting, and their favorite time of year. Why did they do this? For the sake of a better score for “good” thoughts. As we see, even children have a lie already embedded on a subconscious level. "For the sake of survival." Is it worth talking about adults then? We choose sweet lies.
Conclusion: “No one could live with a person permanently telling the truth; Thank God, this danger does not threaten any of us,” joked Mark Twain. And again: “Truth is the most valuable thing we have; Let us spend it carefully.”
