quiltersmuse.com Blog

Tonight, I was sitting in the living room. The television was tuned in to the “Nightly News,” although I was not paying much attention. Suddenly, the topic switched to a politician whose name I had never heard before. He lied. He said something about when he was serving in Vietnam. He was never in Vietnam. The next shot was of him explaining what an honorable man he was. The lie? It was just a slip! A slip? It was a boldfaced lie! Trouble is, he got caught.

You see, that is the thing about lies. There will always be someone who knows better, or “remembers when.” There are ways to check facts, and when it comes to science or math, certain things can be proven. The circumstances surrounding a person’s life, particularly what their true name was, is usually apparent in official files, that is, if one bothers to look for it in the first place.

I was just lying in bed, unable to sleep. I was thinking about how often I rattle people’s cages when I point out their fallacies and faults. I was considering how outraged I become when a mistake is made and how frustrating it is to me when a misrepresentation goes uncorrected for years, even when certain parties have been informed of the truth, and the truth is indisputable. Some folks want to be “nice” at all costs, even at the cost of not providing correct information to the public. Then, it’s “shoot the messenger time,” and unfortunately for me, I am the messenger.

Ah, I have learned so much since high school, I could never wish for those days again!

Respect is earned, not given away freely. In order to judge certain situations, one must approach from a viewpoint of knowledge. The old saw is totally correct: “Knowledge is Power.” I first heard that phrase spoken by a presenter at the University of Connecticut where I was attending a seminar on teaching the gifted. I agree totally. Knowledge is empowering and you’d best be armed with it before you prance into a public realm, pretending to be an “expert.”

That said, we all make mistakes and it only a fool who does not learn from his own mistakes. The definition of “crazy” is to repeat the same behavior, again and again, expecting a different outcome each time.

I have long ago given up the bizarre notion that anyone would appreciate me for pointing out their foibles. Yet, I feel a sense of urgency and a rush to justice, in a certain way, when I see and hear mistakes being made. I feel that people “in the know” (like me, at times) have a moral obligation to share correct information with those who do not understand something.

And so I travel the path alone, most of the time. I sit at my computer with usually no other contact with the world’s people, except occasionally, when I venture out. I share what I know, to the best of my ability, and with NO regard as to whether or not I will be despised for speaking the truth. I enjoy the truth and have to hope that my courage in sharing it will enable other people to stand up for their own convictions.

When I pass from this life, hated even by members of my own family, the hatred of others will be the last thing on my mind. I know that I have done a lot of good during my lifetime in many ways. I know that my words, in many different venues, have been read by millions (I kid you not), and perhaps I have helped to shape the way my readers think (and not just about textiles). As a lifelong educator, that thought is validating in itself.

May we meet on God’s beautiful shore.

Patricia Cummings