Honesty Is the Best Policy

352 Words2 Pages
Honesty Is The Best Policy “Honesty is always the best policy” may be a old adage , but it holds an enormous amount of truth. Though deception often allows us to escape repercussions, the truth will always stand. In most cases you will find that deception does not offer the same long term benefits as honesty does. Sometimes deception occurs in the form of little white lies. For instance, my cousin Tasha was invited to a friend’s wedding in Chicago and she asked for my opinion on her dress. Her dress was very ugly. It looked like seaweeds sewn together, but I smiled and told Tasha it was pretty anyway. I couldn’t spoil her excitement over the dress. Looking back at the moment, I probably should have told her the truth, considering that the guest laughed at her. She had trusted me to give her an honest, helpful opinion, but instead, I lead her to humiliation. With regards to more serious matters, however, deception can lead to more dire consequences. Cheating on a test, for instance, may result in failure of a class or expulsion from school. Despite these advantages to telling the truth, deception can still be rather tempting. For instance, how can you explain the death of a relative to a child? Is it justified to lie to him in order to protect him or her from the harshness of reality? If we give children sugarcoated versions of the truth, they may feel even greater shock when they discover the facts. Deception is often a kind of protective gesture, but the truth can prepare a child for the future. If revealed gradually, truth offers valuable knowledge. Thus, one can view deception as a sweet treat. It is like chocolate that satisfies a sweet tooth and gives immediate pleasure. However, the chocolate will only cause poor health in the future. Similarly, the deception appears to be justifiable and sometimes compassionate, but it only holds future
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