Dresscode Dilemma: Truth Comes As It Is

The Truth, when summoned to vilify or vindicate a person or persons, or to clarify a situation, makes an appearance in the only way it knows how - naked, sharp, and bright.

The recipient of Truth more often than not finds this distasteful. And usually makes attempts to twist it, layer it, or indeed suffocate it with political innuendo, personal agenda or even exhortations about the greater good he or she deems Truth threatens.

And Truth does threaten.

It forces decisions-makers to make tough decisions for which they are paid to make (read: Tough = Do The Right Thing) but yet are terrified to make. Truth causes knees to quake and palms to sweat, induces excuses to overflow like the Yang Tse and produces spontaneous bursts of fingerpointing games in its wake.

But if the recipient is an advocate of justice and fairness, he or she will embrace Truth and suffer the cuts it makes in its revelation. Recipients in leadership positions of course are expected to pursue such principles in the first place. Because Truth makes for effective problem solving.

Yet we wonder with the likes of George W. Shrub across the pond. Or the heads of corporations in our own backyards.

Truth becomes a victim of insecurity in insecure hands. An example lies in the statement, "You are out of place to comment on person X's incompetence, even though you are right". Which you should know is a piece of nonsense that is formally referred to as political correctness and euphemistically termed as "objectivity".

It does not matter whether Truth is delivered by someone equivalent in status/rank/departmental membership to the accused in question here (read: people with long prefixes and suffixes attached to their names on business cards); or a "sub-ordinate" or plebeian (read: people with less to lose). Truth is truth. And if the accused is wrong, then the accused is wrong. The messenger of Truth has the right to cross boundaries - real or imagined or fabricated - to deliver it in the name of justice. What more, if the accused's failure is backed by witnesses and examples.

Truth comes as it is.

Naked. Sharp. Bright. Merciless even.

Its light is able to reveal the finest hairline cracks in your personality, your sincerity.