TRUTH BE TOLD

When a man of a "certain" age, procures the services of a much younger woman and after the service has been rendered, she insists on being quite efusive in her praise of his efforts, should he believe her? When this same jeune fils tells him that she has another client, only 32 years of age, who can't do what he just did, can he accept her word, or should he be his usual cynical self and wonder if the ego boost is perhaps, commercially motivated?
This line of thinking naturally turns my head to thoughts about other situations in which we may not be hearing the unvarnished truth from people who look to us for their own livlihood. The people who are at the greatest risk of hearing only the "good stuff" are politicians, rock stars and actors who depend on syncophants and hangers-on to feed their egos and propel them ever higher, so that they can dispense more manna to their groupies. I'm also concerned about today's students who must never be told anything negative, they are only able to move upward to the next grade, regardless of knowledge or ability and their little self confidence receptors would be irrepairably damaged should they be told they didn't work hard enough, weren't smart enough or just simply failed at something.
Speaking of truth, a woman in Edmonton is suing a list of people including hospital staff, doctors, social workers, etc. because she had been lied to about her own birth circumstances. To the uninitiated, this may sound preposterous but unfortunately, this particular set of lies is only too real to hundreds of thousands of North Americans who are involved in the adoption process. Birth details were routinely changed following the second world war, as children born to unwed mothers were hidden, bartered and yes, sold in some cases, to couples who ignored the niceties of truth. Birth dates and places were changed so that no one could trace their parentage. Birth mothers were often told that their baby was stillborn. This information has been known for many years, but some of the details are only now coming out because several people have chosen to go to court. These travesties were not the result of some nefarious banana republic or totalitarian, third world government - these things actually occurred, until well into the seventies, right here in Canada and the United States. I am not quoting from a questionable conspiracy website either - there are volumes available and I am about to add my own to the chorus. This spring, I will release To My Secret Mother, my own, true life account of being a post second world war adoptee. If you are interested, there is a little bit of information on my website and I will be providing more in the next few months.
So, what to do about the complimentary young lady, who obviously recognizes my cougar-like reflexes and athletic prowess, as she guides my physical training to new heights - I'm going to see if she can talk my digital scale into being a little more complimentary, too. I wouldn't mind altering the truth occasionally myself.