In a time of epidemic that is essentially a pandemic, a friend from abroad sent me a video, in which a famous Argentine columnist and journalist, who belongs to the left-wing political pole, asks us, if we know the background of the story depicted in the painting by a French painter and sculptor Jean-Léon Gerôm in year 1896 and bearing the title The Truth Coming Out of the Fountain. The picture depicts a beautiful, naked young woman, with a whip in her hand, coming from a fountain.
The legend that underlies the painter Gerôm goes something like this:
One day, Truth and Lie met.
“Good afternoon,” the lie said.
“Good afternoon,” Truth answered her.
“Nice day,” lie said.
The truth looked out to see if it was true. And it was true.
“Nice day,” the Truth then said.
“The lake is even more beautiful,” said Lie.
The truth than looked towards the lake, saw that the lie had told her the truth and nodded.
The Lie than ran into the water and said, “The water is even more pleasant. Let’s go swimming.”
The Truth touched the water with her fingers and water was really comfortable and trusted the Lie.
They took off their clothes and were swimming peacefully.
After a while, Lie went out of the water, dressed in the clothes of Truth and left.
The Truth, however, which could not put on the Lie’s clothes, began to walk around without clothing and all who saw her were appalled.
Even today, people prefer to accept the Lie, disguised as Truth, as the naked Truth.
Thus ends a well-known legend that, in these times of crisis, can tell us that we are beginning to wonder, how we respond to the news the media is sending us. Why do many prefer fake news, disguised as the truth? Is the naked truth too hard to see?
The Slovenian nation was undoubtedly marked by the rift, between and after World War II. And the consequences of this, for our nation a very fateful time, are still alive today. The divisiveness is felt right now, as we had to unite as a nation in the fight against the deadly virus, which, as recent findings suggest, has escaped precisely from the laboratory of the communist China. The approaches of the Communist Party are, of course, similar, only the means are more modern and sophisticated.
Why do many prefer fake news, disguised as the truth? Is the naked truth too hard to see?
