Living in a country where deceit is considered as being smart and some people have lived a fake life so much that they forget their real personality, I realized that one code I can never break matter what is Honesty, It is the single law of conduct I am intentional about upholding no matter the situation, as certain experiences in life has taught me that holding on to this code would help to prevent numerous catastrophes or at least minimize their impact.
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Being intentional about being honest didn't start recently, in fact, it was sown early in my childhood. There was an incident that occurred that helped me hold on to this character, I remember breaking my mum's favorite plate those days, and hiding it in the cupboard because no one saw me when it happened, and when she discovered a few days later, I lied about it to my mother, for the fear of punishment, but the uneasiness I felt after the lie, the guilt, made me feel worse, that I couldn't get myself the whole day and had to open up and tell her the truth, especially when she was already putting the blame on her younger sister who lived with us then. By the time I finally told her, this expression of dismay was the worst thing that could have happened next, worse than any whipping or flogging she could impose on me. That is the moment when I came to understand the price that people pay for greed and deception,to begin with, they lose people’s trust, but even more importantly, they betray their own selves.
Image is mine
While growing up I began to consider honesty to be as very vital character we should possess in all areas of our lives, whether friendly or romantic relationships, as well as business relationships, trust is the foundation on which all other aspects are developed. If not, relationships would not last long.
What I have come to realize is that telling the truth is not always telling it as it is or not uttering all that you have in mind. Promoting honesty implies knowing the best time to state one’s opinion and when the appropriate thing to do is to shut up, how to bring out the bitter truth without being bitter in the process. It is about telling an honest story and an honest tale and truth that does not harm or destroy, because I know some people who take advantage of being honest to the extreme using their honesty to cause problem always.
No doubt, my commitment to honesty has been put to test too many times in my life. There are moments when it would be handy to tell a white lie, when telling half of the truth may seem beneficial. Yea, I have got myself in cases where the truth actually imperative cost me friendship, a job or even comfort. And still, I have decided to conform to what is right in my own eyes and my own conscience.
One particularly challenging instance stands out was when a cousin of mine started a bad habit that was slowly leading to addiction, smoking, the day I caught him, he made me swear not to report to his parent because I was living with them then and we were very close, so it was a struggle for me to either cover him up or be honest about his bad ways to his parent, I knew this was going to severe our closeness, but I chose to do the right thing, saving his life, because the consequences of the bad habit he was suddenly getting addicted to would ultimately end him in a bad place if I don't speak up. It was a difficult decision, but one I knew I could live with, knowing that I acted in accordance with my deepest values.
At this point in my life, I have understood that this striving for honesty is actually beneficial and in some way, has made life easier. In simple terms, when you are always a truth teller, you do not keep records of the lies you have told or portray different characters and you have a conscience free from guilt and troubles. It is not that I am an angel or have never tripped before. Once in a while I have also been known to give in to temptation and tell a white lie before I could retract it. But instead of using these mistakes as a reason to stop being intentional about being honest, rather I retract my way and stay still focused on my honesty code.
Over the course of my life I have slowly come to understand that being truthful is not only the right thing to do but also the means of making the society a better place, people can also learn from your honest ways when you lead by example.
Ultimately, it is more than just not giving and telling a lie, but being true to myself, and having regard for others, as well as trying to create a better society where people deal with each other on the basis of trust. Preserves the right to wake up every morning and say, yes, I am who I am and if there are imperfections, so be it.
No matter how worse off things get, no matter the goodies that come my way or the vices that come my way this is one law I know I will never disobey. Because at the end of the day, whether today, tomorrow and even the days to come, if I’ll be able to stand and say I’ve lived honestly, therefore, I’ve lived well.
It's the 15th of July
Better late than never, the day is almost over and thankfully I've succeeded in being a part of this month's #LPUD, powering up 74 Leo, have you powered up?