In this article, we’ll discuss why it’s important to express the truth and the dangers of lying, inspired by the wisdom of the renowned philosopher Socrates.
The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be.
Socrates
Socrates, a Philosopher Who Chose Death Over Renouncing His Truth
Socrates was one of the most enigmatic philosophers in all of history. He wrote nothing, yet he left a significant mark on Western thought. His death, which occurred under tragic circumstances, also greatly contributed to his legacy.
Even though he had the opportunity to escape after his death sentence and survive, he refused the help offered to him and chose to die with dignity.
Since then, Socrates has become an icon, a hero. A symbol of someone ready to die for his ideas, to defend his truth.
Socrates had his own way of doing philosophy. He did not write any books and did not give lectures.
What made him both special and dangerous was his assertion that he knew only one thing: that he knew nothing.
This is one of the reasons why Socrates paid with his life. It is always those who ask questions who are the most dangerous. A single question can be more explosive than a thousand answers.
In those times, Socrates challenged the established order by criticizing injustice and the abuse of power in all its forms.
Socrates claimed to hear a divine voice within him constantly. He was a person in harmony with himself. He knew his mission and wanted to see it through to the end, even if it meant giving up his life.
The fact that Socrates faced death with such calm and dignity made him a glorious figure, gathering thousands of followers after his death.
The Truth Lies Within Each of Us
In his time, Socrates asked many questions and challenged everything: the existence of the gods, social norms, and the political system. He provoked doubt and awakened new thoughts in people’s minds.
Indeed, instead of writing books or teaching philosophy, Socrates preferred conversing with people he met on the street or in the marketplace. His method consisted of conversation and dialogue.
Unlike books and manuscripts, where information is fixed and lifeless, Socrates sought to bring thoughts to life and set them in motion through real-time conversations.
At the beginning of a discussion, Socrates would ask questions, pretending to know nothing. As the conversation progressed, he would guide the other person to discover the flaws in their reasoning.
Such scenes often took place in public. Debating with Socrates meant risking looking ridiculous, like a clown in front of the crowd.
Socrates compared his practice to that of the midwife. He aimed to give birth to the truth by awakening sleeping minds.
Just as a midwife doesn’t give birth but helps the process, Socrates believed that truth comes from within each person. No one can take it from you.
Just as childbirth is natural, everyone can find their own truth by looking inside themselves.
Questions are the Flashlight Illuminating the Dark Side of the Mind
Questions help awaken the deepest thoughts within us. They expose these thoughts to the world so they can be analyzed through reason.
Just as a child in the womb has no desire to come out and face the world, thoughts feel very comfortable hidden in the depths of the mind.
But if the child stays sheltered from the world, it cannot evolve, grow, learn, and mature. He will never fulfill its potential.
Similarly, a thought that refuses to surface and confront the world is fated to never express itself. To never shout the truth.
By asking questions, Socrates did not give you the fish but taught you how to fish. He taught you how to appeal to your reason, how to think, and how to know yourself.
For Socrates, to know is to awaken what the mind already knows. It is to connect to one’s truth.
Pretending to Know Everything Is Lying to Yourself and Others
For Socrates, the enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the pretense of knowing everything. It reduces life to an illusion. It is lying to oneself and others.
Lying leads to an existence devoid of meaning. It means trying to manipulate everyone to achieve selfish ends, selling one’s soul to fulfill distorted desires that only add to the burden of existence.
Lying can involve the following:
- Pretending to know everything.
- Imposing one’s beliefs.
- Seeking to appear competent.
- Craving attention.
- Wanting to be loved by all.
- Escaping responsibilities.
- Forcing yourself to be nice.
- Attempting to dominate everyone.
Lying distorts reality to fit our personal perspective. It is like seeing only one side of a die and ignoring the other five.
While it may seem like the easiest choice at the moment, it is also the path that can lead straight into a wall.
Every day, we face questions that offer no satisfactory answers. We then have the choice to either deceive ourselves and the rest of the world by pretending to know everything or escape the big problems and abandon all hope of progress.
Both options distance us from ourselves and lead us to live a superficial life full of denial and regret.
Socrates’ alternative is to acknowledge that we know nothing without becoming indifferent. It’s a relentless quest to come closer to oneself, to achieve authentic understanding, and to discover the truth.
The Power of Truth
But what happens when we stop lying? What do we gain by speaking the truth?
Socrates said: “If one knows what is right, he will do it; nobody wants to be evil.”
According to him, having a correct understanding of things leads to correct actions. When we act wrongly, it’s because we are mistaken.
Socrates believed that the ability to discern between right and wrong lies within each person’s reason, not within society.
He thought it impossible to be happy if one acts against their convictions—that is, not doing what one believes is right and doing what one believes is wrong.
That’s why it’s important to keep an open mind and never assume that our truth is perfect and absolute.
This ongoing inner exploration of our minds unlocks our hidden potential. It’s the pathway to self-improvement and inner coherence.
It lifts the veil of denial and unauthenticity, revealing the dormant truth within us that has the power to move us and the world forward.
Truth comes from deep within us. It brings clarity and calm to the mind, preventing evil from winning. It helps us let go of hatred, envy, and revenge caused by life’s tough times.
If things are going wrong, speak the truth. If you feel lost, weak, or excluded, speak the truth. If your life doesn’t resemble what it should be, try to speak the truth.
See the truth. Speak the truth.
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