One time, the Truth and the Lie met under a tree. The Lie said, “It’s going to be an awesome day”. The Truth, assuming that everybody was like her, believed.
It turned out to be an awesome day indeed, with clear skies and mild sun. Sometime in the afternoon, the Lie said to the Truth “The mango tree by the fence has really tasty fruits. We should have some.”
Again, the Truth believed. Yet again, her trust was rewarded.
When it was evening, the Lie said once again “Let’s take a bath in the river. The currents are not as strong when the sun is setting”. So they both took off their clothes, and jumped into the welcoming arms of the warm evening river.
The Truth was yet again rewarded for her trust. The current was almost non-existent, and the warm water was pleasant in the backdrop of the evening wind. They swam deep into the river, racing each other to the centre. The Truth was fast, and she easily put some distance between them.
When she got to the centre, she turned around to celebrate. She could hardly make out her opponent, who seemed to be struggling. She swam back, to help. As she got closer, she realized the Lie was almost at the bank. At some point, she had given up and accepted defeat. The Truth smiled.
She was a great swimmer, and she knew it. And now the Lie knew it too. Soon the whole village would hear of it, she was sure. When she reached the shore, she discovered the Lie had taken her clothes, leaving her nothing to wear. Now she had to walk back naked.
As she got back to the village, everybody turned away. She could hear them saying she was mad, and some even said she was possessed by demons. Before she got to the village, the Lie had spread these rumours.
She turned away in anger, walking briskly to her father’s house. Nobody could reach her there. She would be safe from all the rumours and wrong assumptions. When she got home, she narrated the ordeal to her father, and he listened patiently.
When she was done, he asked “who else have you told?” “No one! They all judged me without even asking what happened”
He smiled. ”You see, you should have tried. Some might not have believed, or even listened, but it would have gone on the records that you did. You are your most reliable ally.”
The Truth thought about this for a while, realizing the missed opportunity to change the narrative. She swore to do better, to tell her story to anyone who would listen.
As professionals, we are our best publicists. Nobody can share our stories better. We are all brands and every brand has a story. The world will believe any story, true or not, especially when there is no contrary narrative.
Case in point “All Nigerians Are Scammers”.