Honesty-is-not-the-best-policy

ThereisaproverbthatgoesHonestyisthebestpolicy.anditseemsastrueasitwaswhenitwasfirstcoined.Themostimportantelementinhumanrelationships,whetherbusinessorpersonal,istrust.Ifyoubreakthattrustandarefoundout,therelationshipwillbedamagedordestroyed.Furthermore,ifyourdishonestyisnotdiscovered,youwillhavetogotogreatlengthstoconcealit.Abreachoftrustcanquicklygrowasyoutelllieafterlieinanefforttoconcealyouroriginaldeceit.Soonevenyoumaybeunabletodistinguishthetruth.Thusitisbettertosticktothetruth.However,tellingliesisoftenawayofcommunicatingappropriatelywithoters.Thiskindoflyingisnotmorallywronganddoesnotaffectourintegrityasgoodhumanbeings.Forexample,thereisapoliteformulaweusewhenwemeetapersonforthefirsttime.Wesay,Yournamehasbeenringinginmyearsforalongtime.wheninfactwehaveneverheardofthepersonbefore.Butwithoutthesenicewords,theconversationmightnotstartwell.Whenwemeetsomeonewedon'tknow,wesay,Nicetomeetyou!Perhapsactuallywearenotsopleasedtomeetthem.Butthiskindofexpressionisindispensableincreatingafriendlyatmosphere.Sometimesfortheskeofpoliteness,weareobligedtotakeourfeelings.Itispracticallyunwisetobehonestallthetimeespeciallywhenwearedealingwithdishonestpeople.Tobedishonestwiththemdoesnothurtourcredibility.Solongaswedon'thurtothers,tellingliesisanacceptablepractice.Therefore,wecansaythathonestyisnotalwaysthebestpolicy.Itdepends.Ishonestythebestpolicy?Wearetaughtthathonestyisthebestpolicysincewewereborn,maybefromourrelatives,ourteachers,orbooks.Butinourreallifewhichissodifferentfromwhatwehavebeentaught,welearnthathonesty,onmanyoccasions,isn’tthebestpolicybothforusandothers.Whenwemeetsomeoneatthefirsttime,itseemsthathonestyisdefinitelynotthebestpolicy.Forexample,thoughweallknowthatwecan’tbepleasedwhenwemeeteverystranger,westillsay“Nicetomeetyou!”allthetimewhenwemeetsomeonewedon’tlike.Allthosewordswillnotaffectourintegrityasgoodhumanbeings.Instead,theybringusanappropriatewayforustocommunicatewithothers.However,supposewecouldbethatbraveandhonestatthattimeandsay“Idon’tfeelgoodtomeetyou”,onlyGodknowswhatwillhappentous.Hencehonestyisnotthebestpolicyforustocreateafriendlyatmospheretocommunicatewithothers.Honestyisn’tthebestpolicyforustotreatothersatsometimes.Forexample,weallknowthatwhenpeoplehaven’tknowntheyaresick,theywillbeokayandcanliveforalongertimewithhappiness.Butassoonastheyhaveknownthatnews,theywillbecomeworriedandpessimisticwhichcanleadtotheaggravationoftheirillness,andtheywilldiefaster.Apparently,honestyisnotthebestpolicytootherstosomeextent.Fromallabove,wecaneasilytodrawaconclusionthathonestyisnotalwaysthebestpolicyinourreallife,whichisdifferentfromwhatwehavelearnedfromourrelatives,teachersorbooks.