1971 The Undisputed Truth sang this song that had these words:
Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend
Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
The truth is in the eyes
Cause the eyes don’t lie, amen
Remember a smile is just
A frown turned upside down
My friend let me tell you
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth, uh
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
Beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
I’m telling you beware
Beware of the pat on the back
It just might hold you back
Jealousy (jealousy)
Misery (misery)
Envy
I tell you, you can’t see behind smiling faces
Smiling faces sometimes they don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
(Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes)
(Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes)
I’m telling you beware, beware of the handshake
That hides the snake
Listen to me now, beware
Beware of that pat on the back
It just might hold you back
Smiling faces, smiling faces sometimes
They don’t tell the truth
Smiling faces, smiling faces
Tell lies and I got proof
Your enemy won’t do you no harm
Cause you’ll know where he’s coming from
Don’t let the handshake and the smile fool ya
Take my advice I’m only try’ to school ya
This song has come to my remembrance in three different stages. In all three stages my first thoughts are sad and ashamed. I want to believe in people. I want to trust in people, but the final conclusion a person must face is “you can’t afford to“. After you are bitten several times the realization is you cannot afford to give a person a high percentage of believing or trust, but on the contrary a very low percentage of trust. It is a building project comparable to public building. You do not build a large structure in one minute, one hour, or one day. It takes a long time if you don’t want to make mistakes along the way. I have made it a personal goal to be the opposite of this song and become a believable and trustworthy person, but the way our society is today I, too, am placed into that category of a “Smiling faces show no traces of the evil that lurks within” until proven otherwise. I would love to tell children the world is a believable and trustworthy place, but that within itself is a lie. The truth is to “Be Aware” and “Wise” to your surroundings with slow acceptance. The sadness and ashamed feelings I feel come from the naive of to this day is “I want to believe“. There are so many people quietly and silently suffering of starvation of someone to really believe in and trust in. I am have met so many different kinds of people who have the smiling faces, but believe whole heartily that lying to others is a “social lubricant“, an acceptable pacifier for a means to an end.
Growing up with many different events occurring in my young adult life, I came to trust animals more than I did people. At least animals were true to their nature, whether good or a bad nature. I was in a down spiraling fall, when I thought I would give God a chance. I had tried other things, why not give Him a chance at the screwed life I was living in a screwed up world. The first thing God told me I had to learn to do was to “love people”. This started a very long and hard road for me. People have proven over and over… and over to be “Smiling faces sometimes pretend to be your friend” to me. People treat each other as a “means to an end”. I have found this every where. I mean every where (so far). They are friendly to you because you are a vehicle that will take them to the end they want to reach and then they are done with you with someone else in their sight to take them further. Teachers looking for that student to shine their glorious teaching skills, the athlete to show the world the coaches abilities or the water boy to do the dirty work without appreciation, politicians using others for their money and influence, and the list goes on and on. People using people for person gain. We are all books being written on new pages daily with eternal ink that will be opened in the day before God and all of mankind. I want to be rebellious to the world system and be an individual you can believe and trust. It does not mean we are perfect. It simply means there is a real effort in being a true person daily.
The song I referred to is a sad song, but with a truth that is almost gospel. The only repeating factor that has come through with belief and trust in my life has been the Bible and God. God has never back stabbed me, gossiped on me, betrayed me, or pretended to be something He is not, though there are forces out there that try to make God look like another Smiling Face with lies behind it. I have learned to be still, be patient, and listen to His still small voice speak understanding into my ears. He is my best friend. I only wish I could hold up the standard of being the best friend in return. The daily effort is what keeps me getting back up, dusting myself off, and moving forward in the hopes of reaching the good goal in life. Pleasing mankind is a bad goal, but pleasing God is a good goal that will put everything else into place. Thank you, and have a great day in-spite of what comes your way.