Embellished Truth

There is a reason the young are naive. It protects us from the harsh truths and cold realities of a life we are not yet ready to see. As children, we aren't prepared to deal with the heartbreak and confusion that later reveals itself with age and wisdom. Like every kid, I looked up to my father. I idolized him. Worshiped him! He was my Superman. A man that could do no wrong. A man that was always right. A man that knew best. And a man that was in fact human. It often takes years before we see our parents for who they really are. Not these fictitious superheroes we have built-up in our mind and heart, but rather people. People that make mistakes. It was only a year after I graduated college that I learned that painful lesson. That the man I had admired and role modeled myself after for 20+ years of my life had been telling me embellished truths. While the phrase "embellished truth" sounds more pleasing to the ear than the word "lie," both are essentially the same. To embellish is to enhance (a statement or narrative) with fictitious additions, to beautify it. Simply put, it's a fancy lie.

If you have ever seen the movie "Resurrecting The Champ," you'll be familiar with parts of what I'm about to say...

A writer, like a boxer, must stand alone. Having your words published, like entering a ring, puts your talents on display. And there's nowhere to hide.

I don’t intend to write a story about myself or my father. Or about love. Or the lies that can sometimes come from love. We live in that fear. I will tell you this about the man I call Dad. He is, against all reason, my friend. And he is also a liar.

But was that because he was trying to make himself better than who he was? Or was it because the one force more powerful than a son wanting the admiration of his father is the father wanting the admiration of his son?

Sometimes we need the help of our imagination to achieve that status. For it is no easy task being the strongest, wisest and most beloved man in all the land. And what is sadder is that moment when our children discover that we are not the illusory superman we've created, but rather, as Herman Melville once wrote..."men drained of valor."

The lies that come from love can devastate as much as those that come from malice. Dad's legacy, I suppose is the inspiration for truth. A beauty that lets our children admire us unconditionally as I love my father.