Are Most People Honest?

Honesty encompasses many things. The flip side of honesty is dishonesty which can mean something obvious like lying or it can be something insidious and destructive like being dishonest in a relationship. Honesty is one of the most important aspects of our moral character.

The definition of honesty is being upright, fair, truthful and sincere. It means we are not deceitful, we do not lie, cheat or steal, we practice integrity, we are trustworthy and we are virtuous. Being honest is an active resistance to temptation.

Some examples of honesty are that we tell the truth despite what the consequences may be to ourselves. We do things such as give a cashier back extra money we may have been given erroneously; we turn in lost objects such as a wallet or some jewelery we may have found; we don't blame others when something has been our fault, we own up to our mistakes, and we don't take credit for something someone else has done.

Honesty protects those who are innocent. Honesty promotes trust. Trust and honesty, by necessity, walk hand-in-hand. It is the only way because without honesty, there can be little trust. For those who believe white lies are harmless, a white lie is still a lie. When lying bnecomes a habit, sometimes life becomes a lie as each lie compounds itself into yet a bigger lie. This can be particularly destructive in relationships and will eliminate all trust and eventually the love.

Most of us have been the recipients of dishonest behavior. But when you are the recipient of honest behavior, it leaves a good feeling. We recently were fortunate to experience this feeling. My daughter, myself and two grandchildren had plans to float down the Channel in a small town near where we live. When we got there we discovered that our rubber raft had a small hole in it. Because it would take too long to get all the air out, and we couldn't get it into the car without removing the air, we took a chance on the honesty of people and lay it on top of the car. Renting inner tubes we drifted down the Channel wondering occasionally if the raft would still be there when we returned. We were thrilled, upon our return to the car, to realize that the people of this small town were very honest. When things like that happen, you realize there are many good people around. It also increased our trust in our fellow man.

But when you have been lied to, a fraud has been perpetuated on you or someone has broken into your home or car, you are left with feelings of disappointment and anger and a general sense of distrust in all people.

In our experience with our rubber raft, there was no real expectation that there would be honest people around so the feeling was even more encouraging when we discovered otherwise. For those who are honest, I congratulate you. And for those who are not, I would hope that you put yourself in the other person's shoes and realize that dishonesty does not foster love, respect or trust.