Honesty

Foundational

Value

What is Honesty:

Honesty is about upholding Truth.

Being Honest is to have a conscious, deliberate respect for expressing the truthful and factual without deceit or manipulation; to ensure that Justice prevails and fairness is attained.

Honesty is about honoring the truth in one’s personal and public life and taking action in thought or deed, which exemplifies the truth.

Honesty is standing against lies, cheating, fraud, slander, and those who create or practice such. In a word, it is Uncompromised Integrity.

Honesty is fundamental to our Society and Culture. Without Honesty, our Institutions of Government, of Business, of Education, of Religion could not function and would collapse.

Honesty enables human interaction, human cooperation, and the collaboration necessary to grow our lives together. Honesty enlightens Truth; and Honesty Brings Justice.

Examples of Honesty:

The Value of Honesty is at the very base of human existence. Without Honesty the world just would not function. It is Honesty which creates the Trust we all need to act together for a common good.

Some examples of Honesty include:

A Person who finds someone’s wallet and returns it with the money and credit cards.

An Alcoholic at AA testifying about his problem.

Abraham Lincoln talking to the nation; telling them what they need to hear, as oppose to what they wanted to hear.

Your Dad or Mom telling You about a needed self-improvement.

A Good Friend standing up for your reputation.

Anti-Value: Deceit

Deceit is the opposite of Honesty.

Deceit is to deliberately mislead someone from the truth through speech, action, or suggestion. A deceitful person misleads another to avoid responsibility or to gain advantage over them.

Mostly deceit is done for selfish purposes and not for the common good. Deceit involves manipulation, lying, untruthfulness, trickery, corruption, graft, cheating, bearing false witness, or any instance where the truth is obscured and a lie is inserted.

Deceit obscures Truth. And when Truth is not respected, Justice and Fairness are unattainable.

The Deceitful are liars, cheaters, perjurers. They are to be confronted, exposed and rejected.

Biblical References of Honesty:

Proverbs 19:1: “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.”

John 8:32: “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Peter 3:10-12: For "Whoever desires to love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit; let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”