Monday, January 16, 2006

Fact vs. Fiction

I read a blog this AM from my favorite blogger, Amy Shaw at Greenjeans, about telling the truth. Hype, spin, excitement, panic, so much of what is propelling us forward as a society is more often than not based on asssumptions, misunderstandings, and exageration. The conventional wisdom if accepted as true, boxes us into a collective understanding of what is real. This is not only unwise, it can be dangerous. Lying about a product, for instance, "its fabulous, will make you look 10 years younger!" Lying to grease the wheels, or sell a product, seems to me to stem from an inability to really face the truth, which can be brutal, but also life changing.

Seth Goodin and Hugh MacLeod have been talking about lying on their blogs lately. Seth even wrote a book about it, "All Marketers are Liars". So, where does all of this lead? Well, being true to yourself, I suppose. Romantic, idealistic, sort of corny? Or is that the fear? Being hip, smart, with it, cool, popular and oh yeah, making lots of money, does that all require lots of lying? What if the new thing is telling the truth? Not exploiting others to make a buck? Can you get ahead that way? What companies, entrepreneurs, artists, etc. have succeeded by being honest? What if some traditional ideals, like honesty is the best policy, actually DO lead to long term success? Numbers don't lie, especially when you are balancing your checkbook.

Knowing what you like, who you are and what kind of relationship you have with your family, friends, customers and most of all, trusting your gut, maybe will help navigate this sometimes cold, sometimes warm, sometimes cruel, but often kind world of ours. I believe most people are OK. We are all strugggling with not knowing for sure. It is hard to know what is true when you can't ever be certain. Isn't that what makes it so fun?!?

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