Cosby trial is painful, however you view him Tavis Smiley

Over the course of my broadcast career, I have been called many things, but seldom have I been called “ambivalent.” Yet I confess to being emotionally equivocal about the trial of Bill Cosby.

I do believe that actions have consequences.

But I also believe that some of us is not the sum of us; we are not our worst acts. Let’s be honest, we tend to judge ourselves by our best intentions and others by their worst faults.

I know Bill Cosby. He was my very first guest when my PBS program premiered almost 15 seasons ago, and he has appeared on my television and radio program many times. I have long held Mr. Cosby — always Mr. Cosby — in high esteem. He who breaks through the brush first gets the thorns. To his credit, Cosby has been a pacesetter and a groundbreaker for African Americans in entertainment.

That said, it’s hard to not be pained when dozens of women share similar stories, all bearing witness to his alleged sexual misconduct. Allegations that, if true, would make America’s favorite TV dad a serial rapist.

This was my position, even before this trial began. I did not believe that a guilty verdict in one trial brought by a single accuser makes Cosby guilty of all other similar accusations, any more than I believe that a not guilty verdict makes him innocent of all other similar accusations.

I thought, owing primarily to his celebrity and certain inconsistencies in the testimony of accuser Andrea Constand, that Cosby would walk.

I have remained silent throughout this Cosby ordeal, until now. And even now, whatever the verdict, I still don’t know what really happened behind those closed doors, and no doubt never will.

Sometimes, even when a jury verdict is rendered, myriad unanswered questions remain. I have learned that “he said, she said” dramas tend to be the most tantalizing, but that they are also the most tricky. Especially in a case like this, because over time, there is so much truth decay.

The Cosby Show was great fun to watch back in the day, but it was also full of takeaways and teachable moments. Granted, for many, this new version of the show has been repulsive and revolting, but perhaps there are still lessons for all of us to learn:

Privilege can be poisonous. In our arrogance, we can get caught up doing what’s expedient, taking advantage of and exploiting others.

Fortune and fame don’t fix flaws. Character matters. Success is about what you have, greatness is about who you are.

People will forgive just about anything — except hypocrisy.

Before honor comes humility. The book of Proverbs declares that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” Or as the great philosopher Kendrick Lamar put it, “Be humble, sit down.”

Truth is something that must be known with the mind, accepted with the heart, and enacted in life.

Above all, try to live a life of truth.