In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the

"In the last few years, the very idea of telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is dredged up only as a final resort when the alternative options of deception, threat and bribery have all been exhausted." — so warned Michael Musto, the sharp chronicler of culture and society, whose wit often hid beneath it a blade of sobering clarity. In this declaration he laments the decay of integrity in public life, where the sacred oath of truth, once the foundation of honor and justice, has been reduced to a reluctant act, invoked only when every deception has failed, every threat has broken, and every bribe has been refused.

To speak of “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” is to recall the solemn oath sworn in courts of law, a formula meant to bind the conscience of the witness before God and man. It is the standard of honesty, the very pillar upon which justice rests. Yet Musto observes that in modern times this oath has become hollow, invoked not as the first step of integrity but as the last gasp of desperation. Men reach for the truth only when the arts of falsehood can no longer serve them. What was once sacred has become a tool of convenience.

This degradation of truth is not new, though Musto highlights its sharpening in recent years. History offers countless examples where rulers, politicians, and even ordinary men turned first to deception, bribery, and coercion before daring to let truth emerge. Consider the Watergate scandal, where lies upon lies were piled high until they collapsed under the weight of evidence, forcing truth into the light. The truth was not offered freely, but only after deception failed, after threats were powerless, after bribery was uncovered. In the end, the truth came forth, but as a final resort, not as a first principle.

Yet this descent is not universal. There are those who have chosen truth first, even at great cost. Recall Socrates, who when brought to trial could have saved his life with flattery, evasion, or deceit. Yet he refused. He chose the truth of his convictions over the comfort of survival. His death stands in stark contrast to Musto’s observation: Socrates lived in loyalty to truth as the beginning of wisdom, while the modern age too often treats truth as a scrap to be picked up only when lies have failed.

The lesson here is bitter but vital. If truth is treated as a last resort, society decays. Justice cannot stand upon bribery, nor peace upon threats, nor trust upon deception. A people who use truth only when forced to are like sailors who consult the stars only when the ship is already sinking. Musto’s warning is that our age has inverted the order of morality: what should be first has been made last, what should be sacred has been profaned.

What, then, must we do? Reclaim truth as the first resort, not the last. In our daily lives, let honesty be our opening word, not our reluctant confession. Let integrity shape our dealings before fear drives us to it. When faced with temptation to deceive, to threaten, or to buy our way through, remember that every falsehood plants seeds of destruction that will one day bloom. But truth, though it may wound in the moment, heals in the long run.

Practical action is simple: speak plainly, act justly, and refuse to let convenience dictate your honesty. If you hold a position of leadership, model truth as your first step. If you walk in ordinary life, let your small acts of honesty strengthen the fabric of trust around you. Teach children that truth is not weakness but strength, not desperation but dignity. For when truth is lived daily, it will cease to be a last resort and once again become the foundation of a just and enduring society.

Thus, let Musto’s lament be for us not only a warning but a call to arms. “The whole truth, and nothing but the truth” must not be the final tool of the desperate, but the first tool of the noble. Let us restore it to its rightful place, that justice may stand, trust may flourish, and generations to come may inherit a world where truth is not hidden but exalted.