The two choices of the ‘Truth or Dare’ game are less conflicting than usually thought, a false dichotomy. Since when has telling the truth been kind of the opposite of doing a dare? The curse in the story aside, since when do we need to choose between honesty and courage? Since these are both virtues, why should anyone only choose to be virtuous in one way, while forgoing the other? To forgo one virtue can already do much damage. And it can be said that to lack any key virtue means one is not really virtuous at all.
Of course, there is cruel versus kind honesty. This is where the real choice comes in. Unless absolutely needed to save the day, why share truthfulness that can possibly harm? And there is reckless versus wise courage. Again, this is where the real choice comes in. Surely, it is stupid to risk life, relationships and even property to have unchecked guts run wild. ‘Truth or dare’ also collapse to become one when there is a dare to tell the truth. May all always have truthful courage and be courageously truthful!
In the film, the premise is more of ‘Truth or dare… or die’. The players are forced to tell a deep dark truth or do a dangerous dare, with the failure of choosing and doing of which, leads to gruesome deaths. What if one indeed has to choose? Well, if one always has high moral integrity by observing the precepts well, and coupled with having great compassion, there should be nothing to fear by choosing to be truthful. This sure beats being dared to risk life and limb.
With honourability and kindness due to the precepts upheld, even if there is a ‘forced’ dare to do what breaks any precept, one will not give in. The truly honourable will sacrifice themselves to remain upright for the good of one and all. They will not dare to break precepts, which karmically leads to suffering sooner or later anyway. Bearing this in mind, may all always dare to be truthful yet kind, integrating wise courage with kind honesty. This is the cure for the actual curse of rampant heedlessness and deceit these days.
