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No matter who you are, or what situations you may find yourself in, creating an atmosphere of trust is incredibly important. Being honest and trustworthy are things that every person should strive for. Our society teaches us that “white lies” and lies in general are acceptable, and we’re eve given many examples of when it’s okay to lie. The truth is, there are incredibly few instances where lying is appropriate or acceptable. Typically, unless your life is in danger, you should do your utmost to tell the truth.
When we lie, those lies eventually come back to us. It’s exceedingly rare for a person to be able to go through their lives and never be caught in the lies that they’ve told. Larger lies are likely to catch up to you sooner rather than later and with greater consequences, but the litany of little lies people tell are also damaging and can ruin us later down the road. Lies have consequences, unfortunately most people don’t stop to consider them.
People who insist that lying is both needed and appropriate, in my opinion, don’t understand the way that life should really be and the consequences of the lies they tell. People who tout the use of lies are often damaged by the media or social circumstances and have fallen victim to a detrimental way of thinking. While it’s true that honesty, no matter how politely put, can cause conflict, overall it is almost always the better course of action than lying. The ramifications of lies can be far greater than those of having told the truth.
When you are honest on a constant basis, you create an atmosphere of trust. People will know that while they may not like what you have to say, it will always be the truth. People will trust you and respect you, because you have set an example of being a forthright person who cares about others. People are not prone to seek guidance or advice from someone known to lie. Liars are typically branded as manipulators, and this puts them in a place where others are not likely to help them or want to associate with them.
Though some may disagree, I always encourage people to be honest at all times. Granted, it can be difficult to combine honesty with tact, but it’s a skill worth learning. It is quite possible to be fully honest with the people you encounter while doing your best to take their feelings into consideration. We can all learn to be respectful in our truth-giving, we simply have to learn to do so. And even when people are offended by that honesty, they will, in time, come to respect us more than if we had lied.
