HONESTY IS STILL THE BEST POLICY

T

HE TRUTH OUTLIVES A LIE. A clergyman was walking down the street when he came upon a dozen boys, all of them apparently between ten and twelve years of age.

They were surrounding a dog. Concerned, he went over and asked, “What are you doing with that dog?

One of the boys replied, “It’s an old neighbourhood stray. We all want him, but only one of us can take him home. So we’ve decided that whichever one of us can tell the biggest lie will get to keep the dog.”

Of course the reverend was taken aback. “You boys shouldn’t be having a contest telling lies!” he exclaimed. He then launched into a ten-minute sermon beginning with, “Don’t you boys know it’s a sin to lie?” and ending with, “Why, when I was your age, I never told a lie.”

There was dead silence for about a minute. Just as the reverend was beginning to think he had gotten through to them, the smallest boy gave a deep sigh and said, “All right, give him the dog.”

There is no limit to the height you can attain by remaining on the level. Even though honesty is still the best policy, today it seems there are fewer policy holders than there used to be. 

George Braque said, “Truth exists; only falsehood has to be invented.” 

Miguel de Cervantes said, “Truth will rise above falsehood as oil above water.”

White lies leave black marks on your reputation. You can’t stretch the truth without making your story look pretty thin, and when you stretch the truth, it snaps back at you.

Truth will win every argument if you stick with it long enough. Though honesty may not be popular, it is always right. The fact that nobody wants to believe what’s true doesn’t prevent it from being correct.

Two half-truths don’t make a whole truth. In fact, beware of half-truths: You may have gotten hold of the wrong half. You will find that a lie has no legs; it has to be supported by other lies. 

T.L. Osborn advises; “Always tell the truth, and you never have to remember what you said.”

The truth is one thing for which there is no known substitute. There is no acceptable replacement for honesty; there is no valid excuse for dishonesty, and nothing shows dirt like a white lie. It may seem that a lie has taken care of the present, but it has no future. Hope built on a lie is always the beginning of loss – a shady (dishonest) person never produces a bright life.

Herbert Casson promised, “Show me a liar, and I will show you a thief.” A lie’s main assignment is to steal from you and from others. George Bernard Shaw said,

“The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.”

Liars have no true friends, for how can you trust them?

If you lie and then tell the truth, the truth will be considered a lie – SUMERIAN PROVERB

That is, a liar will not be believed even if he tells the truth. An honest person alters his ideas to fit the truth; a dishonest person alters the truth to fit his ideas.

There are no degrees of honesty. The only way to be free is to be a person of truth. Truth is strong, and it will prevail – there is no power on earth more overpowering than the truth. Consider the words of Pearl Buck: “Truth is always exciting. Speak it, then. Life is dull without it.”

In what way has dishonesty creeped into your life? Are you honest to your colleagues at work? In your school? At home? In your relationship? In your daily dealings with others?

Have you gained the world since you have been living in lies? I believe now is the time for a decent change. For change is the only constant thing on earth.

Stand for honesty today even in the midst of temptation and see how exciting and stress-free your life becomes.

Be an advocate of truth today, and experience a change in your life and our motherland, Nigeria.

Your comment is highly appreciated.