Making the Most of All or Nothing Day with the Truth
All or Nothing Day is celebrated each year, by people doing something they have always wanted to do but didn’t dare up until now. As polygraph examiners and forensic psychologists, we see it as an opportunity to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
However, some disturbing new phrases are being used on a regular basis nowadays that have nothing to do with the truth. One is “your truth” and the other is “lived experience”.
So, what is wrong with these expressions?
Your truth
In a speech that Oprah Winfrey made in 2018 at the Golden Globe Awards she said:
““I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association because we all know the press has been under siege these days, but we also know that it is the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice. To tyrants and victims and secrets and lies, I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this; what I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”
Whether she wrote her own speech or someone else did, it is a contradiction in terms. There is no doubt that good investigative journalists, of which there are few left, uncover the absolute truth. However, it is debatable as to whether their editors will allow them to print it. But “speaking your truth” doesn’t actually mean it is THE truth.
Indeed, to suggest that the absolute truth is no different to “your truth” or “my truth” is extremely dangerous.
Meghan and Harry interview
Going with the same narrative Oprah Winfrey allowed Meghan to tell “her truth” and Harry to tell his. Scrutiny of the responses that were given to Oprah’s questions has identified that at least 10 lies were told, if not more.
For example, Meghan said that she and Harry were married in a private ceremony three days prior to the official wedding. This was not only a lie but would also have been illegal had the Archbishop of Canterbury done it. He has since confirmed that he didn’t, but we don’t even have to rely on his word for that. The date is clearly displayed on the marriage certificate. Therefore Meghan’s “truth” was not the absolute truth.
To be a successful liar you must have an excellent memory. Meghan said that she hadn’t searched the internet for information about her husband to be before meeting him. Yet according to the book “Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of a Modern Royal Family” she looked him up before her first date with him.
False allegations
In the course of our work, we meet many people who have had false allegations made against them. The person making the allegations is highly likely telling “their truth”, which doesn´t in any way mean it is the absolute truth. We see clients who have been broken by false allegations that have destroyed their lives.
Lie detector test results go some way to vindicating victims and allowing them to rebuild their relationships and lives. When someone´s “truth” has been to spread false allegations of domestic abuse or paedophilia it can be very difficult to shake the thought in people’s minds that there is “no smoke without fire”. In the polygraph industry, we see huge billows of smoke without any fire at all.
Sowing division with lies and “lived experience”
There has seldom been a time in our history when society is so divided with the media spinning a “your truth” narrative. In Britain it is possible to simply state that you “feel” you have been racially abused and have a person arrested for a “hate crime”. In many cases, this may be “your truth” but the reality is often proven to be different.
And then we are told that we cannot question someone’s “lived experience”. How can a person’s experience be anything but “lived?” There are plenty of people who reinvent their “lived experiences” to impress a potential partner or employer. Our UK polygraph examiners spend a lot of time questioning “lived experiences” especially in pre-employment screening and pre commitment lie detector tests.
All or Nothing Day
If you have been telling someone lies, why not use All or Nothing Day to come clean? Or perhaps you have someone in your life that you suspect is lying to you. If so, make this day the one to uncover the truth and move forward with your life.
The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth will come out. It is your decision as to how soon you want to liberate it.
Our polygraph examiners in London, the East Midlands and the West Midlands are working on All or Nothing Day. Call us on our free helpline (07572 748364) to find out if a lie detector test can help you resolve your dishonesty issues.
Alternatively you can book a test online using our secure reservation system.
