The Subtle Art of Honesty

I’m sure all of you have heard of the proverb ‘honesty is the best policy’. But is that really true? We are taught from the very beginning that it is wrong to lie. The value of honesty is ingrained in us from when we begin to speak. In my opinion, honesty is important, but cannot be applied in every situation.

In most situations, truthfulness is the right of way as people would not be able to rely on you otherwise. However, in some select circumstances which we can all relate to, we find that uttering a few white lies is not beneath even the best of us.

But, it is important to appreciate and understand the subtle nuance between honesty and falsehood. Often people lie to promote their own self-interests at the expense of others. But prosocial lies, which are fibs intended to benefit others can actually build trust and maintain relationships between people according to research. People often prefer the honeyed version of the truth rather than brutal honesty, and in small everyday situations, it is harmless to give it to them. Another time when lying can be beneficial to the other person is when there is no time to change. Suppose, for example, your friend is about to walk onto the stage and they ask for your opinion on what they are wearing. Even if you think it could use work, think about whether the person has time to react to the information and rectify the situation. Lying in this scenario is likely seen as benefitting the other person as it is not amendable anyway. Instead, uttering a few reassuring affirmations canactually boost their confidence and help them excel with what they have.

In conclusion, the ideal of always being truthful may be very well, but life is more a spectrum rather than the harsh contrast of black and white or good and evil. Developing the maturity and judgement to deal with various circumstances and navigate the thin line between honesty and lies is imperative to fostering relationships and flourishing in our society.