Rohan Davidson

One of my favorite lines from LotR comes from Éomer's introduction to Aragorn and the Fellowship: “All that you say is strange, Aragorn. Yet you speak the truth, that is plain: the Men of the Mark do not lie, and therefore they are not easily deceived.” Tolkien's insight runs contrary to a midwit assumption—popularized by Game of Thrones and the like—that virtues like honor or frankness are for chumps, that they somehow hinder anyone with real ambition in this world and make them simplistic, naive, vulnerable. Really it's the cynic's understanding of the old virtues that's simplistic. David Mauer, who wrote a fascinating book on con artists, would side with Tolkien. He notes that the best marks are always dishonest themselves. Their desire to cheat others is what makes them vulnerable and easier to cheat; you get them by making them think they're scamming someone else when really you're scamming them. Watch The Sting (1973), based on his book. In reality, clear-sightedness is one of the fruits of telling the truth. This goes far beyond "Doing unto others as you'd have them do unto you" as most people understand it. It's more about how your virtues actually increase your powers, especially powers of judgment. Men like Éomer tell the truth, and it makes them stronger.