At
some point during the time when we are small children, we tell a lie.
Afterwards, we may be taught never to lie, but rather to tell the truth. Either
we follow that wise advice for the rest of our lives or not, but as adults,
there should be no reason that we can not consider telling the truth as one of
the golden rules.
There are often times where having to tell the truth may be scary, but what many people come to realize is, so is telling a lie. The list of what could go wrong when telling the truth is far shorter than the list of troubles that can occur through telling a lie.
Typically when you lie, it requires you to keep lying so you don’t have to tell the truth of your original lie. This bad habit can lead to a whirlwind of unhealthy habits that all could have been avoided by not telling a lie, even the smallest ones.
Let’s take a look at some of the common lies people may say each day, often referred to as “white lies”. Here are some examples:
- “I agree that your shirt is pretty!”
- “Yes, the green paint does look nice
in here.” - “No, I’m not mad that you ate my
last slice of pizza.” - “Don’t worry, you added enough sugar
in my coffee.”
While these lies may seem harmless, and the one lying makes the excuse that they’re just being nice or trying not to hurt someone’s feelings, every lie can be considered detrimental to the person lying and those that are being lied to.
Getting caught in a lie causes a great deal of anxiety, depression, trust issues and more for all involved. What’s worse: finding out you’ve been lied to by your friend or co-worker or knowing that they have been honest, even if what they said hurt a little?
The Importance of Truth
The
truth will set you free. Being true to one’s self and others has endless
benefits, as there’s nothing weighing on your soul and those around you believe
you’re honest. Honesty seems nearly impossible to come by, but is one of the
most valuable traits to acquire. It takes a lifetime to build up trust, but an
instant to lose it. No lie is worth jeopardizing a relationship, your career,
or anything else.
Consequences
The consequence of being able to tell the truth is that people may point out your ability to be brutally honest. This is not necessary a bad thing. It is better to be brutally honest than be brutally harming others through your string of lies.
The truth always comes out one way or another, and this pattern occurs in schools, workplaces, online and even at home. The environment that telling the truth creates is a pleasant one, filled with less worries and doubts and more honesty and togetherness. It is most easy to function when everyone on the team knows the rules.If one is not honest about something, catastrophe is to be expected, and it is not fair to put everyone around you in fear of that.
If one is not honest about something, catastrophe is to be expected, and it is not fair to put everyone around you in fear of that.
In our society, not telling the truth has caused a wide range of mishaps that are far from repair and only seem to continue and worsen. In an article with Psychology Today, Dr. Ira E. Hyman, Jr., a professor of psychology at Western Washington University, discussed how lying has had a detrimental impact on our daily lives in areas such as school, politics and the media. That article can be viewed here: www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mental-mishaps/201612/does-the-truth-matter%3famp.
Conclusion
Today, people around the globe are finding it more and more difficult to find reliability wherever they need to seek it. Telling the truth is important as it helps prevent such hardships. By telling the truth, you’ve just been honest with your mission to being the change you wish to see in the world. One spark truly can start a fire; by sharing the truth with others, our only hope is that they too can find the benefits in being true, always.