Me lying on Waikiki beach. Sea.. not so bad. |
The little prince grew up very aware of how honest he was. Adults were always asking him about events, they trusted him. He thought it was because they all knew how honest he was. It seemed to him that even adults admired him. Years went by and no one ever told him truth about honesty.
In school his reputation proceeded him as honest. He prided himself on honesty, wearing it like a badge of justice. Other children never invited him when they wanted privacy. Any nosy person could ask the prince and he will speak of all he has seen.
The prince grew up never knowing what was going on all around him. People with nefarious actions simply were strategic about being around the prince. If they needed an alibi they simply had to be seen by the prince and their alibi stuck.
Still the prince believed he was on a noble path. Law enforcement had befriended the prince, and he spent his days with clergy, politicians, and noblemen. No one ever suggested the prince lie. The very suggestion anyone wanted him to hold a secret would enrage the prince. So no one told him secrets.
It came time for the prince to marry and he chose a woman of intense beauty that he had not known before. In fact he had not known a woman in any way at all, and everyone knew this.
Shortly after the marriage the husband swore to his wife he would always be truthful. He would tell her anything at all, and nothing was off topic. Honesty was the upmost value. His wife was flattered and her husband seemed so trusting. He would never suspect anything.
Her husband did trust, since he did he also thought everyone else did, and he projected his honest behavior on everyone. However, his wife had been spending a lot of time with another friend. It was a man friend and the prince became suspicious of their obviously poorly hidden behavior.
The man went to his wife and ask about the man. The wife ask if it was important to him, and decided that she could not resist giving the truth to such an honest and strong man.
The woman said, "Yes husband, this man you see me with and I have been madly in love since we were 13 years old. He is a poor man and can not provide for me as you do, yet I can not provide for you what I give him. Please do not be angry as it is only the truth."
The prince was confused. Why did this hurt? Could it be his wife's fault? Perhaps it would not have hurt if he knew this before. He accused his wife of withholding the information. The pain wanted him to avenge it, but yet he could not.
He learned that resisting what is - was causing him suffering. If he knew before, he would have hurt at any time, but he also might not have even married. The prince knew you could not build a house on a shitty foundation, it was all going to suck from here on out, he thought.
The man was fascinated with his hurt. He wanted to figure it out. He continued to act strong and allow his wife to take the freedoms she chose. He thought maybe if he just endures enough of it he will understand it and come to peace with it.
Still haunted with pain the wondered, "Perhaps it only hurt because I was not there?"
So one night the prince ask his wife to tell him the details. "Maybe he made it all a bigger a deal in his mind?", he thought. He ask his wife to tell of every detail. His wife was a great story teller, and described everything as though it was happening right in front of him. This brought tears to the wife to have to share with another man she loved in detail what she could never share with him. The prince thanked his wife for her honesty and went to sleep.
The next day the prince realized there were many holes in his wife's story. How could she describe all the details in just a few hours from years of intimate encounters. There must be so much more the prince thought. He needed to know more.
This thirst to quench the young mans jealousy was killing his relationship. The more he wanted to know, the more it pained his wife. The more she spoke, the more questions he had.
The prince learned that honesty without kindness is cruelty. He was cruel wanting to know and his wife was cruel for telling. Just as truth can be sought as vengeance to cruelty, the cruelty was self inflicted.
Then he came up with another realization. Hurt people hurt people. You can not engage people when you are hurt, or you will hurt them and the cycle will not stop.
The prince became a king eventually and learned through records of men he trusted engaged in nefarious activities. Men that praised him on his honesty, encouraged it, used it.
In fact the wiser the king became the more lies he was able to recognize. Once he learned that lies are coming out of peoples mouths, he understood the truth by knowing the mans motivation. You won't know details, but does it really matter? Let the man think you fell for his lies. The man will surely tell you more. Tell a man you don't believe his lies he will become a better liar. Surely by seeing the truth you will find comfort. Those that lie, live in torment of the truth. You can not stop men from lying to you, unless you can stop the motivation or desires of men at all.
Just because we call an asshole and asshole, does not mean that an asshole likes to be called one. In fact if you do, he will give you even more reason to call him one.
A lie is a deception, often a simple one. The lie itself has no power, without a reaction. To judge a man for lying alone is as ridiculous as judging a scorpion for it's tail.