Is dishonesty the best cure?

I look around me and see dishonesty to the core. Some lie for the sake of keeping the other from getting hurt, others lie so that all goes well in a relationship, still others lie to hide their envious nature while others lie to keep the society happy. A hundred and more other reasons. Each one has justified reasons for lying. The energy taken to lie, if put to be honest, this world would be a better place.


I am a kind of person, no matter how hard the fact is, I would rather hear it than have people lie about it. When my brother who passed away on 2 May 2009, had gone in for a petscan in April in Bombay for his NH cancer, the tests showed that the "well contained cancer" had indeed spread to certain other organs of his body. It was a fact that was hard for us to digest, leave alone having to tell him about it. My family around me refused to let him have the facts thinking that would destroy his frame of mind and be an obstacle in his healing process. When he called me and asked me, I did not have the heart to lie to him and told him the facts. It may have broken him up from within, it may have hurt him, who knows, it may have also killed his spirit to fight the cancer, I will never know. Was I the reason he did not beat the battle with cancer? I will never know. All I know is that if I was in his place, I would want to hear the truth. He asked everyone to be honest around him, but all kept lying. I feel everyone should be given that choice. If he kept probing and wanted to know the truth, I feel he has the right to know.

I cannot imagine, being in his position, helpless in a hospital, and have everyone around lying that all is well and me having to take their word for it.


In this world, I know there are alot of people who love me and care for me. But deep within me, I fear, would their love and care keep them from telling me the harshest facts of life. Today, I want to be reassured that there is at least one person I can trust, who would tell me exactly as things are.

At the end of the day, we should remember each of us have to go through tests and trials in our life, God will not give us more than we can handle. How long can you protect someone from getting hurt or being told the truth. No matter how bad the situation, I would want to know the truth. That does not mean, I will not get hurt, it does not mean, I will stand up strong and say "Thats nothing, I can take more". I may falter, I may cry, I may go into a temporary phase of depression, but then I believe that was all written in the book of life for me. I was to feel all those emotions and thats why I have to go through it.


I feel this world is full of people who are not genuine, who are always trying to cover someone else's back, who do not want to hurt their loved one. Why can't we just be? Be honest! One of the commandments does say "thou shalt not lie". Sin does not have a degree. There is nothing like a big sin and a small sin. A sin is a sin. Period. Whether you are into envy, stealing, lying or indulging in adultery, its all equivalent to sin in the eyes of God.


Most of the time, I feel we lie assuming that we know best and the best is to keep facts away from the other. Not true. No single human being has all the answers. Always remember we are a bunch of imperfect people who desire to be perfect . So along the way, you have to make certain changes that would lead you up the path to perfection. You may or may never attain perfection in your lifetime, but if you do not try, you will never know. When you see flaws in yourself, the first thing to do is admit they are indeed negative points in you. Secondly, try to make changes to be a better person, you may fail miserably but then again, you must keep trying.


As for me I am wondering why don't I throw caution to the wind and be honest today. I am guilty of being dishonest during many occasions but today I choose to change that. I want to be honest, be it for small things like when the phone rings and I just do not feel like talking, or even if someone asks me for a favor which I know will not fit into my tight schedule. I am going to be honest, even if it hurts the other person. Once again, I am assuming it would hurt the other person. May be the other person would appreciate my honesty and move along. So, why sin for something so trivial. Not worth it.