Why you must be Honest.

It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.
A poor wood-cutter was felling a tree on the bank of a river. By chance his axe fell into it and he began to weep. Mercury, a king god happened to pass that way. He asked him what the matter was. When he learnt the whole story, he took pity on the poor old man. He jumped into the river, and showed him a golden axe. “Is it yours?” he asked. “No, sir” replied the wood-cutter; “mine was not so beautiful.” He dived again and brought out a silver axe. “Is it yours?” he asked again. “No, sir,” replied the honest man. “Mine was not so bright. “He dived for the third time and brought out the iron axe which had been lost. “Oh! Yes, that is mine, “exclaimed the wood-cutter, as soon as he saw it. Mercury was greatly pleased with the wood-cutter. And he gave him the entire three axes as a reward for his honesty.
Without honesty we would be termed characterless. Honesty is one of the building blocks of good character and character is what establishes who we are and what we are going to achieve. Honesty is the cornerstone of character. If one is found wanting in honesty he will be found lacking in character as well.
Honesty is not always the easiest way out of a situation. However for the brave hearted who do not seek ways out of situations it is the only way to deal with a situation or a crisis. Often being honest can mean coming under the wrath of others. There might be the fear of a backlash but one must keep in mind that in the end truth always prevails and honesty is the best policy. It might not be the easiest thing: being honest, but it is the only thing to be.
Sometimes when faced with dire consequences one is inclined to be dishonest because it takes courage to be honest. While dishonesty may provide an easy exit out of a sticky situation, it is just a matter of time before the lies catch up. When that happens, you lose your credibility and people mistrust you forever.
A politician who fails to deliver on the promises he has made the people during election campaign loses the peoples faith and stands to lose the elections the next time around. It is difficult to trust someone you have lost faith in.
There are lies and then there are white lies. White lies are perceived as lies that are harmless hence people are often prone to using them. Being honest is difficult especially when you have something to lose like maybe a job, a promotion, the love and respect of a loved one.
Taking the help of a white lie seems the easier way out. However one lie leads to another and, before long you are entangled in a web of lies that you find increasingly difficult to come out of. Honesty may be a difficult virtue to maintain but it is the only right thing to do.
However situations don’t always call for brutal honesty. If a friend has bad breath there is no reason to embarrass her with the truth by telling her she has bad breath. Situations like this, when the truth can hurt someone’s feelings call for prudence.
A white lie said at this point to avoid hurting the friends feelings would not be in the best interests of the friend. The best way to deal with this situation would be to play down the brutality of the truth. Instead of outright saying,” hey your breath smells awful’ one could instead say “hey nothing a little mint won’t cure”.

The truth however hard to say, must be adhered to always. In the long run it is the best policy. Over a period of time one will gain a reputation for being honest. And this will prove to be the building block of success. An honest person will be sought for his opinion. An honest man will always receive more responsibility at home and at work.
First you must be true to yourself, and then you can go out in the society and be truthful to others. You are responsible for whatever you say and do. Just be honest and everything else would come in place. Honesty is an expensive gift; it is not expected from cheap people with a cheap personality trait.
One must remember always that, “To err is human and to forgive divine”. So when you have erred coming clean is the only option. You may be punished for it, you might have to bear the consequences of it, but if you are honest you will earn the forgiveness and respect of those around you. Honesty is undoubtedly the best policy.
Take note;
*A few honest men are better than numbers;
*No legacy is so rich as honesty;
*To be honest has this world goes is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.
So be that special person, take a decision today to be honest if only to differ from your neighbors because an honest man is the noblest work of God.