In America, at this moment, the country is having their presidential election. We all want to know who will be the next president. Will it be Mr. Biden, or will it be …well, that other person? We don’t know all the information yet but the answer will come soon.

The president of America, for the last four years, has said many things that are not true. There is a journalist in Canada, who for three years recorded every lie that was said by that president. The reporter would write down the lie and then research and find the true answer. He would then write about the lie in his newspaper in Canada. But, there was a problem. The problem was that there were too many lies. The number of lies that came from the mouth of the president of the United States were so many that the reporter could not record all of them.

This is an incredible story. How is it possible for someone to tell lies every day? How is it possible to tell lies and then be the leader of a country? It seems unbelievable, but this has been a big problem in the United States.

When we are very small children our parents often tell us, “Do not say a lie. Always speak the truth.” Small children know that to tell a lie is a bad thing. Small children know that we should tell the truth, even when the truth is not easy to say.

As a teacher I am a little worried. I worry that because the president of America says so many things that are not true that he is an example to other people and is teaching that to tell a lie is a good thing, and that telling a lie is a natural thing.

What do you think? Do you think it is important to tell the truth? Do you think it is okay to tell a lie?

Maybe sometimes, but in very special cases, we need to say something that is not true. For example, if your friend has a new hairstyle and asks you, “Do you think my hairstyle is okay?”, but in your mind you think, “No, that hairstyle is crazy”. But then, you see your friend and how happy your friend is with the new style… Maybe, in this case, it is okay to say a small lie. Just say to your friend, “I like it. You have great style.”

Special cases are okay to not tell the truth… BUT, in most times, you must say the truth. If someone says that people from some country are not good because they are different, we must say that is not true. If someone says that we do not need to protect our earth, that is not true. If someone says that girls and women are not equal to boys and men, we must say that is not true. If someone says that science is only your “opinion”, we must say that is not true.

We need to speak the truth to our friends. We need to speak the truth to our parents too, even when that can be very, very difficult. And we also need to speak the truth to ourselves.

Are there times when you are unhappy or have some stress? Do you know why you feel bad, or why you feel low? Sometimes you need to be truthful with your own mind too. If you are angry or sad or feel bad, take some time to think about the reason for the negative feelings. Sometimes when we are honest with our own hearts we can find peace and make harmony with others.

America is choosing their new president, and this president will have an impact on Japan and Canada. We all need to understand this situation. We need to have truth in our minds about this problem. We need to think about our relationships to America and the president that will come. Are we friends? Can we believe each other? If Japan or Canada has serious trouble can we ask America to help us? In this question our countries need to speak the truth.

There are many changes that are coming to us in the near future, and life will continue. But one thing that is always important is the truth. Let’s take some time to think about what is true, and what is not true. Let’s think about things that we can believe and trust, and things that we cannot believe, and cannot trust.
Let’s take some time to look in our own hearts too and think about what is true, what is right, and what is correct. Let us not be afraid of the truth, but let’s look at truth as a way to make good choices, and for how to make a good future.

Let’s tell the truth,.