Winston Churchill said “Men stumble over the truth from time to time, but most pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing happened.” You would think that virtually everyone would want to know the truth about any situation that pertains to them, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. It seems that we selectively want the truth only when it reinforces our current beliefs or desires.
This is discernible by looking at the headlines on magazines at the supermarket check-out line. I have yet to see one that says “Key to losing weight revealed: Consume fewer calories than you expend.” And yet that is, obviously, the only way to lose weight.
Granted, there are countless ways to achieve such a caloric deficit, but they are all variations of the same scientific principle. But most people don’t want to hear or believe this truth. They want a diet that will allow them to lose weight while continuing the same behavior that put on the unwanted pounds in the first place.
This of course does not only apply to weight loss, but to many unpleasant things in our life. “He’s not my President.” Oh, really? Who is your President? This isn’t meant to be partisan, as I heard the same thing said about Obama and W. I even read where it was said about FDR. It’s just another example of not wanting to face an unpleasant truth.
The same holds true for life insurance. People will take it if it’s free, but are generally reluctant to part with their hard-earned money for it. While group term life insurance provided by the employer is a terrific fringe benefit, the number of people who do not supplement it, even when it is available through the employer with little or no underwriting and payable via payroll deduction, is truly shocking.
It gets back to what I’ve said before, that confronting our own mortality is not a pleasant task. While not pleasant, that doesn’t mean it can be avoided. Well, I guess it can be avoided, but it certainly shouldn’t be avoided.
The fact is that not liking or not facing the truth doesn’t change it or make it go away. It’s still present and still capable of having an adverse effect. Dependents of underinsured individuals are not exempt from financial problems just because the individual didn’t face the truth of the matter.
So yes, while not always pleasant, it’s always best to face the unvarnished truth. Perhaps Gloria Steinem put it best when she said “The truth will set you free. But first it will piss you off.”