As lawyers in Washington, DC hire lawyers to protect themselves in a swamp of unspeakable dishonesty, we recall Gandhi’s conviction: “For me God is truth.”

George Orwell observed, “In an age of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

Those who testify in senate hearings or courtrooms place their right hand on a bible or Koran with the promise of speaking honestly. How many appearing before the world television cameras actually ponder the beatitudes found in Matthew’s gospel?

 “Let your speech be a simple yes, or no. Anything beyond that has a taint of evil.”(5:37)

Journalists working for the New York Times, and other media sources easily documented two thousand “distortions of truth” in the first year of Mr. Trump’s reign.

Vladimir Lenin said, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”

One woman who works with small children in a Lafayette, LA primary school gently urges children: “Do not lie, cheat, steal or bully” because she fears this simple morality is not sufficiently inculcated during years of evolving childhood moral consciousness.

The Chinese character/word for “trust/ believe” is a person standing next to her/his speech. This is the most meaningful Chinese word in my personal study of a difficult language.

George McDonald said “It is better to be trusted than to be loved.”

Trust is the basis of love.

When we desperately seek simple yes or no answers along with relationships that are totally honest and straightforward in a world where taking an oath means little, we can console ourselves daily by a promise:

“I will never utter anything but pure truth.”