Saltine Cracker
Saltine Cracker here. In light of the most recent scandal
eminating from Washington, which, it doesn't appear, will be dieing down
anytime in the foreseeable future; I thought today might be a good opportunity
to address something which is certainly at the very core of the situation.
That being the issue of "Honesty".
We all aspire toward it,
at least the vast majority of us. We seek out relationships with people
we can trust, people who hold honesty and integrity to be staples of their
character. We ourselves want to be seen by others as being honest. And,
of course, "Thou shalt not lie" is one of the big ten. But what does it
mean to actually BE an honest person? Certainly, the vast majority of us
pass through this life without ever killing anyone, raping, molesting,
or even robbing a bank. There are many people who live their entire lives
without ever committing adultry. These are all quite attainable moral standards.
But is there anyone among us who never lies? Hardly. Yet surely we can
admit that we have known people we would consider as being honest people.
To be honest, it would seem, is not something we can attain 100% of the
time. I've learned over the years that when I meet someone and the issue
of honesty comes up, if that person states that they never lie, they have
just told me their first. It seems to me that each person's first and foremost
struggle is to be honest with themselves about themselves. The higher the
degree one can attain in self-honesty, the higher degree one can attain
in honesty with others.
So, for me, I first had to be honest enough with myself to admit to
myself I am not 100% honest. Having reached that milestone, I then had
to examine the types of lies I told, and why. Eventually, I determined
that as long as my "lies" were regulated to embellishments or exaggerations
in relating certain tales from my past, while the basic facts of that story
remained true, or when I lied to avoid needlessly causing another pain
or embarassment, that these were "acceptable". This, I reasoned, allowed
me my margin for imperfection, while also enabling me to reamain honest
with others about things that "matter". Things that would defraud, manipulate,
use, or hurt others. I can honestly say I've never cheated behind any lover's
back, I've never lied to use or defraud anyone. In that sense, I believe,
I am an honest person. I plan to remain that way, no excuses. And in my
experiences, it's been those who claimed they never lie, who end up lieing
about the things that do "matter". Some of them, I'm sure, are simply not
being honest with themselves, others know they lie, and simply don't care
what it's about.
So remember, never believe
a person who says "I never lie", and never trust a person who constantly
says "trust me". Also, it's one thing to be cautious and even wary, but
another to let this dishonest culture turn you into a bitter cynic. There
are many good and honest people out there, and that's no lie....till later....I'm
out.
