Honesty

#truth #reality #honesty

“How come your blood pressure is unusually high today?” I asked my patient of twenty years with a history of hypertension. “I’ll be honest,” he replied. “The truth is I ran out of my medications a week ago.” His answer was plain, simple, and, as he put it, honest.

Honesty is being truthful. One who tells the truth is therefore an honest person. Going about life honestly means remaining truthful and sincere in every circumstance, no matter how challenging or inconvenient.

In the same way that the color red is red, the truth is the truth. It is rooted in fact and reality, not opinion. It is neither personal nor subjective. A grave problem arises when one is afraid to accept the truth as it is. Such a person is, by definition, dishonest.

At present, there is an alarming trend toward a brand of dishonest behavior in which allegiance to an ideology—be it political, social, or personal—takes precedence over honesty. For the purpose of going to bat for one’s team, so to speak, an otherwise sensible individual may issue statements that are utterly in contrast to reality, even in the face of abundant, incontrovertible evidence. The events at our nation’s Capitol Building on January 6 of this year represented perhaps the most egregious example of the sort of fallout that can result from such dishonesty. From the highest seat of government to the horde of faceless Internet users who felt free to act with impunity, dishonesty was present at every level, and its shocking results did not end when the crowds dispersed. On the contrary, the embarrassment was to continue, as some politicians sought to downplay and even justify the insurgence, in a theatrical show of political fidelity before honesty. The truth took a back seat to personal ambition. In this case, a lack of sincerity reflected poorly on not just these individuals, but on the American people broadly. The potential of a single falsehood to do widespread damage cannot be overstated.

But honesty is about more than merely telling the truth. Honesty is about being real with yourself and others about who you are, what you want, and what you live for as a person of integrity and sound moral conduct. Honesty sharpens your perception and allows you to see everything inside and around you with genuine clarity.

I recall an instance in which a patient asked me “Why does my left hand feel colder than the right, but only in the morning, and not all the time?” My response was honest: “I just don’t know.” Being truthful in this way did not make me feel less competent as a physician with 40 years of experience. I offer humbly that my admission displayed the kind of integrity one should look for in a physician. A less experienced doctor with more to prove might have allowed his pride to come before his honesty, and issued a far-fetched medical explanation. But whom would that benefit? Certainly not the patient. In such a case—and indeed in all others—the axiom holds true: honesty is the best policy.

The quality of being honest with God, yourself, and others will make you a person of integrity as you seek out and embrace the truth. In a world of ever-growing complexity, we must remember that the truth is not a reflection of our culture, our opinions, or our personal leanings. The truth is simple, and it is immutable. We must not be misled by colloquialisms, however well-intentioned, that encourage each of us to embrace our truth, as though facts are tailor-made to our whims and fancies. The truth is not always easy, and it is not always convenient, but it is always necessary. It is an essential component of life well and honorably lived.