Just the Facts Ma'am...

Tonight's Law and Order had a phrase "just tell the truth and you'll be ok." But whose truth? What are the consequences of telling the truth? It reminds me of the warnings I was told last week at voir dire. The judge and the attorneys asked the jurors tons of questions about whether we could be impartial. When I was asked if I could be impartial, I said no. So the attorneys and I trooped up to the judge where I told them I'd already made a snap judgment on the case. I told the truth. Was it what the judge wanted to hear? Was it what the attorneys wanted to hear? I couldn't tell. I only know it took guts for me to admit that I couldn't be the perfect juror. There is a not so subtle pressure in the jury box to say "sure, I am just as good as the next man," "sure I can be impartial," or "what will the other people think if I admit I have an opinion." Just the truth...yeah, sure. And yet, in a way that's right. By telling my personal truth and not what the "system" wanted to hear, I set myself free. All it cost was letting go of my attachment to how it looked to others.