He who lies lacks honesty.
Honesty is uprightness of mind and integrity in action . Whoever is honest shows himself as a righteous and fair person , who is guided by what is considered correct and appropriate at a social level.
For example: "My grandfather taught me that honesty is the most important thing when it comes to business," "The manager was fired for being dishonest," "I found a briefcase with money and important documents in a taxi and did everything." "I did everything possible to contact its owner: my honesty did not allow me to hesitate for a second."
Honesty and sincerity
Sincerity (attachment to the truth and expression without pretense) is one of the components of honesty. The honest person does not lie or commit falsehoods, since such an attitude would go against his or her moral values.
If a guy is honest and wants to sell his car, he will recognize the vehicle's defects and will not lie about its mileage. On the other hand, a person in the same situation who is dishonest will try to distort reality to get more money, without caring about the damage that their lies could cause to the buyer.
The tendency towards what is upright and transparent always prevails in the honest individual and is even stronger than any need. When a man who does not have a job receives an illicit proposal to access easy money (stealing, swindling , etc.), only his honesty makes him resist the temptation and refuse to accept. On the other hand, if the subject lacked this virtue, it is likely that he or she would end up choosing the wrong path and become a criminal.
Phrases of famous people
Many authors and famous people in history have left behind phrases related to honesty; Let's look at some examples below:
« Honesty is incompatible with amassing a fortune », Mahatma Gandhi; « Valuable prey makes thieves of honest men », William Shakespeare; « It is more difficult to be an honest man for eight days than a hero for a quarter of an hour », Jules Renard; « Honesty stops at the door and knocks; bribery comes in «, Burdett A. Rich; « In a word: to seem like an honest man, what you need is to be one », Nicolas Boileau.
Obtaining money illicitly is a lack of honesty.
Dishonesty, part of human history
In a world where image is so important and its price is paid in money , honesty is not usually very present in the daily life of our species. But the cases in which power and ambition seduce human beings and lead them down the path of dishonesty are not typical of today; No matter how far we travel in time, we will always find examples of manipulation of the truth, deprivation of the freedom of others and indiscriminate violence in pursuit of an end that, for those who pursued it, justified the means.
But how should a person be raised to become an honest being? Are the teachings you receive during your first years of life, with the examples from your elders enough? There really are individuals who would never steal, who would never harm another living being just because; those people in whom one blindly trusts, because one knows that they are transparent , that they do not harbor evil within them. Why aren't we all like that?
When the definition of a term such as trustworthiness, honesty or sincerity is consulted, non-human animals are never mentioned; However, many people who live or have lived with dogs, for example, tell countless stories that contain true examples of all these and more virtues, and never deal with abuse, exploitation or fraud. Perhaps we should pay more attention to our fellow planets to learn valuable lessons in honesty and compassion, which our curriculum so desperately needs.