Okay, telling a lie actually runs faster than truth. We live in that kind of world presently, but the truth always wins the race at the end of the day. It is one of those things that people used to say, though it's simple at first glance, but it's not that deep.
I've actually heard it being said over and over again. A lie has a natural advantage, it is easy to see, it is lightweight, very flexible and can travel faster, especially in this internet age. Just put up one or two rumors and you are done.
It doesn't need to be verified. People like lies and something that is negative. It doesn't need to be grounded and consistent, people don't even care.
It also doesn't even need to align with the basic facts. All it needs is to be believable enough. Immediately it's believable.
Lies become as fast as the speed of light. That's why rumors spread so quickly, misinformation goes easily viral and false narratives often dominate the early stage of any story. Lies are built on speed.
They travel very fast and they don't even endure, so they don't have an endurance capability. Truth, on the other hand, is very slow. When I mean slow, I mean sloth slow or snail slow.
Truth requires evidence and facts and you do your due diligence before you even say it out. It demands patience too and it's very complex and sometimes does not even fit neatly into a quick headline. Truth is sometimes boring too.
Truth does not rush, it's always patience. It doesn't even need to because it carries with everywhere it goes. But here is where the quote I earlier wrote up there, here is where it becomes powerful.
Speed is not the same as victory. In short term, a lie can feel overwhelming immediately and it can shape people's opinion and even incite one set of people against each other. Reputation can be damaged, lives can be lost, all on the basis of lies.
If you have ever been misunderstood or misrepresented, you know how terrible it is to watch a false statement made against you to become something terrible. The defining character of truth is not how quickly it appears, it is how well it holds up over time. Lies need constant maintenance, so you need to tell another lie to cover for another lie.
They need to be defended over and over again. Truth does not need a defender. Truth stands by itself and is a fact.
Truth doesn't have any problem that lies has. Once truth appears, it is easily understood. People can see it for what it is.
Even if you don't understand it, you can't stand against a glaring fact as glaring as truth. Truth is very slow and builds up with time. It is also extremely boring.
The world that we live in is a reminder that if you are playing in a long game or anything meaningful in a long time, truth is what you should hold on to because it can endure. Lies is what you should stay away from.