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HONESTY – LIVING THE TRUTH
Marian Baltazar
Class of 1980, University of the Philippines College of Manila
AB Political Science
Honesty is not only telling the truth but also living the truth. It is based on the truth which clearly shows that,
the general sign of honesty is actually not telling lies. It is not living in a world of mak...e believe but living in
reality itself. When a person is honest, that person is creating a reality based on truth, but when one chooses to
be dishonest, the truth is hidden and this can even lead to a domino effect on telling one lie after another. How
can a person disclose the truth and live on with it forever? Who doesn’t want to be a truthful person whom
people believe in and rely on? The question still remains, how can a person be honest?
We can possibly be honest if we are true to our self. When we become true to our self then we can also be true
to others. If this is so, then every action that emanates form us will be all subjected to honesty. Honesty is not
being biased. We have to look at the right perspective and always remember that “Honesty is the best policy”.
Of course not everything that happens to our life is good because almost always, somewhere along the line,
there is something that goes wrong. Eventually when we find out the truth, we become very sensitive and we
get hurt. Being honest is not only confined to not telling a lie but also speaking the truth even to the point of
hurting our feelings and even our ego. People should be optimistic when a revelation unfolds before their eyes.
Let us not hate these people when they reveal the truth to us. If you value a relationship, then telling the
whole truth would really mean a lot to you. In this case, we should refrain ourselves from saying only the half
truth, for half truth is no truth at all. For me, “What is black is black and what is white is white,” meaning that
we should neither cover up nor play deceit to others. If you want people to trust you and rely on you, then we
should always be honest in our dealings with people. Hence our integrity will be established and be built as a
result of our honesty. So be honest at all times, even in good times or bad times.
Honesty implies much more than just not lying. It also means living in accordance to the law and the good
values and principles. It also includes not stealing, cheating, corrupting or not doing any dishonourable practice.
If you are honest, people will trust you and that is what keeps people together. It pays to be honest and live
with a clear conscience. Furthermore, honesty is the absolute expression of truthfulness in our lives, and what
makes this world to have faith on itself. Let us not deceive people especially our self. Now is the time to live in
honesty and have an upright life favoured by God. So we should make our choice, to live by the truth or to live
by telling lies?
Questions for discussion:
1.How do you react when your loved one hurts you by being honest with what he really feels about you?
2.What is the real meaning of honesty in your life?
3.Do you point fingers at others when we tend to be dishonest at times? Why or why not?
4.Do you still think twice before displaying your honesty to other people? Explain your answer.
5.How do you deal with dishonest persons?