“The true measure of life is not Length, but Honesty.”
This very astute and accurate observation was made by John Lyly, the 17th century
English author and poet, considered to be among the best of the English playwrights
of that time. He was clearly confirming that a truly worthy life is never
related to the number of years lived, but rather to the quality of the life
lived.
Benjamin Franklin’s famous comment, “honesty is the best policy,” has been used so often at home, in
school, at work, on the sports field and in church that we take it for granted,
and very rarely do we question its validity or necessity. We give lip service
to it whenever we are trying to reassure ourselves or impress others of our
good intentions, but yet continue to live our lives and do the things that are convenient, rather than correct. When challenged, most people
will rather make excuses or hide their true feelings or their intentions rather
than admit the truth or accept responsibility. They are willing to do or say
anything they think might get them by, not so much to be intentionally
deceitful, but rather to protect their egos from being exposed and equally,
their self-image being compromised.
Honesty, the quality of being honest, is a
basic value of human behavior which is definable in variety of ways depending
on how it is viewed. In terms of human communication, people are considered to
be honest when they tell the truth to the best of their knowledge, or do not
withhold or alter what they know or think. In respect of behavior, honesty
refers to doing the right thing or abstaining from wrong or unacceptable
actions, such as stealing or cheating. In essence, honesty incorporates all the concepts of
truthfulness and reliability, and should always be an integral part all human
thought, words, actions and relationships. The very well respected American
religious leader James E. Faust, explained
this in a simple but highly crystallized clarity when he said:
“Honesty is more than just lying. It is truth
telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”
But
even in recognizing the validity of this statement, it must never be considered
as complete and irreversible. For in the course of living, there are times when
unrefined honesty may give rise to pain and suffering even if it is done unintentionally.
While any conscious dishonesty is never ever desirable, there are times it is more
prudent to withhold or qualify such honesty especially if such action is in the
other’s interest. Therefore to be truly honest, one must strive at all times to
be humble and critical of one’s intentions and needs, while also being fully
aware of the impact of one’s actions on others.
-In fact, by far the best measure of a person’s
rewards for honesty is not in his level of satisfaction but in the effect it
has on others.
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