Truth Collection - (Volume 3 of "Random Thoughts")

Author: Ba Jin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: The third collection of Random Thoughts, including thirty essays from Random Thoughts. I also gave this collection a name: Truth. In the past two years, I have written several articles advocating for speaking the truth, which has also sparked various discussions. Some doubt whether "speaking the truth" is possible. Others believe that what I call "truth" may not necessarily be the truth. Still, others say that following the higher-ups or others is what constitutes speaking the truth. Yet others, though not saying it outright, hold such views: "He's just venting; don't pay attention to it—let it fade away on its own." I admire the latter view. Indeed, allowing all nonsense to fade away on its own is a clever approach.
In my home, there is a grassy patch where leaves often accumulate. Sometimes, when the wind blows hard, the large fallen leaves of the camphor trees seem as if they will "fly all over the sky." Once the wind stops, none of the leaves are visible—they have all been swept into the dirt. Afterward, when I stroll on the grass, I forget that there were ever any leaves.
I have always acknowledged that humility is a virtue. However, I would never want to see my articles become leaves swept into the dirt. But the fate of an article cannot be decided by me alone. Readers have their own opinions. If readers dislike them, then before the wind even picks up, they will have been tossed into the trash bin.
I have repeatedly stated that what I call "speaking the truth" is simply "giving my heart to the readers"—telling my own thoughts, speaking what I believe, and sharing what I have reflected on. I have never claimed, nor do I wish to claim, that my "truth" is "the truth." Nor do I believe that I speak or write "correctly" all the time. On the contrary, over the past, I have made countless mistakes and been deceived in many ways. Others have deceived me, and even my own emotions have deceived me. Naturally, I have told lies. I have had many dreams, both sweet and nightmares, and I have also experienced sleepless nights.
On the long road of life, I have left many footprints. My Collected Works and Selected Works are all my footprints. I cannot erase these past traces, and others cannot wipe them away at once either. My life has not ended—I must continue forward. Now, my mind is even clearer than before, and I see the path I have walked with greater clarity. Whether it is true or false, right or wrong, the words are all there, and I cannot escape responsibility. I can only leave it to future readers to judge.
But as long as I draw breath, I still feel, think, and have a sense of right and wrong—I must speak. To prove that people are still alive, I must speak. What should I speak of? Still, the truth. The truth does exist. Speaking the truth is not difficult. I recall Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes. Everyone said, "The emperor's new clothes are truly beautiful." Only a small child spoke the truth: "He is not wearing any clothes at all." As early as 1837, the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen advocated for speaking the truth.