Jordan Peterson
Tell The Truth
One way of conceptualizing yourself is that you're one speck of dust among seven billion
And when you conceptualize yourself that way you might think, well what difference does it make what I say or do?
And that's actually quite convenient for you because if it doesn't matter
What you say or do then you don't have any responsibility and you can do whatever you want
The price you pay for that is a bit of nihilism but if you don't have to shoulder any responsibility that's a small price to pay
The other way of looking at it then this is actually the accurate way of looking at it is that you’re in a nеtwork
You're a note in the nеtwork
You can do a little bit of arithmetic very rapidly and just figure out how powerful you are
You know a 1.000 people (You know a 1.000 people)
They know a 1.000 people (They know a 1.000 people)
That means that you're one person away from a million people and two persons away from a billion people
And you’re the center of that network and now the way networks work is that the information propagates in a network manner
So, don't underestimate the power of your speech
Don't underestimate the power of truth
There's nothing more powerful
[Chorus]
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
Now in order to speak what you might regard as the truth
You have to let go of the outcome
You have to think, I'm going to say what I think
Stupid as I am, biased as I am, ignorant as I am
I'm going to state what I think as clearly as I can and I'm going to live with the consequences no matter what they are
Now the reason you think that, that's an element of faith
The idea is that nothing brings a better world into being than the stated truth
Now you might have to pay a price for that but that's fine you're gonna pay a price for every bloody thing you do and everything you don’t do
You don’t get to choose to not pay a price
You get to choose which poison you're going to take that’s it
So, if you're going to stand up for something, stand up for your truth
It will shape you because people will respond and object, and tell you why you are a fool, and a biased moron, why you're ignorant
And then if you listen to them
You'll be just that much less like that, the next time you say something, and if you do that for five years, you'll be so damn tough and articulate, and able to communicate, and withstand pressure that you won't even recognize yourself
And then you'll be a force to be contend with
[Chorus]
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
It’s almost impossible to provide people with enough protection so that they feel safe to speak
Okay so we'll address that directly
It is not safe to speak and it never will be
But the thing you gotta keep in mind is that it's even less safe not to speak
Right? it's a balance of risks
It's like you want to pay the price for being who you are
And stating your motive being in the world
Or do you want to pay the price for being bloody serve
One that's enslaved him or herself
Well, that's a major price man
That thing unfolds over decades you'll just be a miserable worm at the end of about twenty years of that
No self-respect
No power
No ability to voice your opinions
Nothing left but resentment because everyone’s against you
Say what you think carefully, pay attention to your words)
(Say what you think carefully. pay attention to your words)
It’s a price you want to pay, if you’re willing to believe that truth is the corner stone of society
In the most real sense
If you're willing to take that leap then tell the truth and see what happens
[Chorus]
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Tell the truth
Or at least don’t lie, that’s a start
Nothing better could possibly happen to you
There'll be able to ups and downs, and they'll be pushed back, and it will be controversy, and all of that, but it doesn't matter
The truth is what redeems the world from hell
And that's the truth
And we saw plenty of hell over the last 100 years, you know?
We haven't learned a bloody thing from it
It's like, "Wake up!"
Wake up
Wake up