You’ve probably noticed now that the olympics have ended, that the big olympic news wasn’t about the events, it was about some US swimmers and a late night incident at a gas station. So guess what we’re going to be talking about today — honesty. Honesty is more than just accurately reporting facts — it includes what you say and also what you don’t say. And it includes your actions. Honesty is saying and doing what is true — not false.
I won’t get into the specifics of the gas station incident — you can read the papers and watch TV just like me. If you’ve noticed what’s been going on in the world lately, you’ve heard about auto companies cheating on auto emissions results and banks that have admitted to massive fraud, governors (and other public officials) charged, or convicted, of corruption.
And of course, in this election year, let’s not forget politics… Mark Twain said that politicians would never lie “unless it was absolutely convenient.”
There are currently two candidates running for president (not counting any minority party “candidates.”) Since this blog is about honesty — be honest. Dose either candidate exude honesty as an attribute? They both say, “trust me” but neither provides much, or any, basis for doing so. Just because someone is a “politician” doesn’t give him or her a license to practice situational honesty. Honesty isn’t something that can be turned on or off in different situations. You’re either honest and trustworthy or not.
We have the presidential debates to look forward to — I’ll make a bold prediction right now. Both candidates will lie — a harsh term, maybe, but both will lie. So here’s where we stand: Both candidates are lying. Our job is to decide which one is lying less. Sad state of affairs isn’t it? We’re reduced to weighing the lies and probably wind up voting for, in our opinion, the least deceitful.
So have we reached the point, that honesty is just for suckers? Hope not — we should all remember a Thomas Jefferson quote, “Honesty is the first chapter the the book of wisdom.”
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