The chronicles of outright lies and double speak in the US, Russia, and in almost every corner of our global political life has reached a point where it is destroying our fragile systems of survival. Reading the news this morning reminded me of a very sad, but liberating moment in the relationship with my own father in South Africa in early 1990’s. He was one of the most kind, honest and humble people I’ve known. Someone I will always regard a spiritual mentor and best friend. The turning points in our relationship were many: from him having to visit me in hospital after an attempt on my life in 1982 for revealing the brutal killings of hundreds of railway workers; to my exposure of the corrupt practices of the church he loved; and me leaving the ministry and church he served with his whole life. But the moment came one evening when one of his old friends and university class mates – the then head of the church – revealed that the church has “lied” to its own people and supported a corrupt and hateful apartheid government. That night we were jointly viewing this revelation on public television. For me it finally was a victory and validation of all the countless arguments we had; for my father it was one of his deepest humiliations. It shook the ground underneath him. In my youthful arrogance I further humiliated him with a tirade of accusations and anger, not realizing that this 65 year old man life was tearing apart on the inside. It was the only time in our lives we hit each other. We could not hurt each other because our bonds of love were to deep, but our physical expressions of deep hurt, lies, contradictions and brokenness of the world in which we found ourselves, was overwhelming. Discovering the horrendous evils and lies of apartheid was a journey I travelled from an early age through the lives and eyes of the sons of our gardener, the first little girl I kissed at age 5 (who was in my country’s racial frames, “colored”), my old friend Caesar K.L. Molebatsi, and many more. It is only when we are able to see the world through the eyes of our friends and the “other” when we discover the real truths about them, ourselves and the world we share. My discovery took on a new dimension that evening… and walking the next 25 years with my old father and witnessing his journeys of discovery and making sense of the contradictions of life, religion, and political lies. We both had to be patient with each other. Our deep mutual love carried us through many stormy moments of discoveries. This journey with my father and many friends and family remains a stark and unforgettable reminder that when leaders and their media machines lie or distort truth for generations, those lies becomes “truth” for their people. And when you finally tell the truth, few believe you. Both Democrats and Republicans in the US, and many governments in our broken world rediscover this all too infrequently. One can only hope that the truth tellers and journalists of integrity will have strength and courage every day to continue their duty to society and all of us. Our lives depend on that.
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