In my experience, truth does foster personal power. Truth isn't necessary to manipulate anything. I believe earth was conquered by homo sapiens because we are foolish, not because we can cooperate. Large scale cooperation may be based on belief in common stories, but not always. And you can't really make anyone believe anything. Believing a leader who promotes a false story is foolish loyalty. Yes, the truth may hurt -- lies may hurt also. Fiction wins in politics when voters don't want the truth. It sometimes is difficult to know what the truth is. Suffering is bearing what's happening. Whatever is in form suffers from the elements and forces of nature and other beings. If it can suffer, it's real in this reality. I don't know whether the formless suffers. I often consider what consequences I or the other will suffer by my decision or action. Being very sure that everyone is suffering plenty helps me from getting impervious to the suffering of others.
On Nov 13, 2021 David Doane wrote :