The Official Web Site of Stephen Willand ...
H.I.T. -- Honesty, Integrity, Truth
No sooner had I posted the I.O.U. addition to this website then I received a number of inquiries asking why the truth (the T of H.I.T) was relegated to the last paragraph and not placed at the beginning of the essay where it belongs. Good question. The fact of the matter is that truth was not placed last; for it surely holds a place of preeminence over all other aspects of communication. However, the truth does not live in a vacuum, but rather, is a logical consequence of being impartial, objective and unbiased. When the author speaks, both verbally and in writing, in a biased and non-impartial manner he or she not only loses objectivity but loses the truth as well. To speak with an I.O.U. (Impartial, Objective, Unbiased) is to give the audience what is owed to it and to gain the means to make the message a H.I.T. (Honesty, Integrity, Truth). It seems paradoxical to think that an author can be biased, prejudicial, and extreme in the communication process and arrive at the truth with any semblance of honesty and integrity. Telling the truth is paramount to any other aspect of public speaking, writing and every other communication class that I have taught and I am convinced that the author cannot arrive at the truth if he or she tries to get their wearing the blinders of preconceived notions, prejudices, biases or other communication truth blockers.
Truth, much like beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder. I can behold the wet rainy day today and state truthfully that it is a good thing as it is filling the reservoirs prior to the potential hot summer drought season. Another person can behold the same rain and be truthful in declaring it a miserable and depressing day. Neither of us has lied; we merely perceive things in an honestly different way. This leads to one of the contemporary problems with finding the truth. It is what I call the "Unholy Trinity" whereby Marketing leads to Perception which then leads to Reality. In this world of Madison Avenue, Internet, Cable and Network Television, Satellite radios, and a seemingly endless array of technological "news" media sources it seems that the more something is said (Marketing), whether true or not, the more it becomes the general Perception and eventually the accepted Reality. This trinity can prove to be dangerous as it can be used as a manipulative tool to gain the favor of an audience without the necessary impartial, unbiased and objective approach.
Volvo is the safest automobile in the world, not because it is (it is not) but because we have been told over and over that it is and, therefore we buy "Volvo For Life." Actually, the newer German models, specifically Volkswagen (Audi) have proven to be the safest. Volkswagens were designed for driving enthusiasts not because they were (they were not), but because we have been told so repeatedly. Actually, Volkswagens were designed during the Nazi regime and first driven off the assembly line by Adolf Hitler who praised the "Peoples Car "(Volks Wagon) as a noted accomplishment of his hideous Third Reich. Hitler, of course, was the most heinous villain in history not because he was (I think he was not) but because we have been told that he was. While a monster by any measure, Hitler's evil is trumped by Josef Stalin the murderous dictator who terrorized the Soviet Union and its people from 1924-1953 and is credited with causing the deaths of some 30 million people. All of this falls into the dangerous category commonly known as "conventional wisdom," the convenient (lazy?) way to get knowledge or wisdom; just be told what is "true" often enough and you will believe that it is true.
Truth is an absolute; it is not interpretative, subjective or variable. Something is either true or not true; there is no third choice. We may disagree on whether something is right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, but still tell the truth in offering our opinion. The opposite of the truth is dangerous, hurtful and, unfortunately, prosperous for some. I can tell you first hand of the pain that can be caused by lies. However, I can also tell you of the profit that all of these have gained for the perpetrators. Does this mean that the truth loses to a more aggressive and dominant force? Does this mean that we should discard the truth as a phenomenon that has outlived its usefulness and replace it with the more politically correct doublespeak and sound bytes that gain us fame and fortune? It has been said that the future of this nation will be determined by the moral values that we carry forward from one generation to the next. If that is the case, one can argue that the nation’s future is not a bright one as we continually push the truth further back in our list of positive and productive virtues. Try to be Impartial, Objective, and Unbiased, and perhaps we can all arrive at Honesty, Integrity, and most importantly, the Truth.
"...to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all..
The Truth -- Elie Wiesel
Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich Propaganda machine (The liars) were no match for The Truth -- Cpl. Willam Willand (second row center) and the U.S. Armed Forces.
“The most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly - it must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over”
Joseph Goebbels
Nazi Propagandist
This is an example of how "conventional wisdom" and "intellectual laziness" can be manipulated for evil purposes.
