Is honesty the best policy?

We are all probably taught the value of telling the truth when we are young but somewhere into adulthood, the real world with all its deceptions and follies, can make that a distant memory. Yet there is a school of thought, in the Christian, Buddhist and Gandhian tradition, that believes that being honest is truly the most rewarding and satisfying way to live. Is honesty then, the best policy after all?

Spiritual savant Nandinii Sen agrees, “Integrity towards oneself is very important,” she says. “One has to be true to oneself and true to the path one has chosen in life. I’d tell the truth, but more importantly I would live the truth. True honesty is that which translates in your life with your action. So if I say I’m on a diet, or I say that I’m doing charity, it should not merely be lip service. I should actually live out what I’m talking about.”

On the other hand, with regard to being brutally honest with other people about their realities, she begs to differ. “Being brutally honest with someone else can sometimes be hurtful to the other person. Very often one has to consider matters from an emotional point of view when dealing with other people.”

Tarot card reader Munisha Khatwani says that for her honesty is definitely the best way to live. “The truth sets you free. Because if you tell one lie you have to think of several other lies to cover up that one lie. In the art of tarot that I do, where I predict peoples’ futures, it is essential to be honest with my clients. That’s because they take life-changing decisions based on the predictions and dishonesty on my part cannot be tolerated under any circumstances. Sure, one can put across the truth gently at the most, but one must never deviate from the truth.”

Says psychotherapist Seema Hingorrani, “The more you safeguard your personal integrity — such as in acts of speaking the truth and not lying, not cheating others or stealing — the less mess you have in your head.”

Hingorrani says that in her many years of practice as a professional counsellor, she’s noticed both honest and dishonest behaviour among clients. “I’ll say this — that honesty is the only thing that takes you up the corporate ladder, despite the difficulty of remaining completely honest at all times. I’ve seen dishonest people plunge down the ladder without a trace. Also, whether in family relations or at work, it is vital to take the path of truth. Not only does it allow you to sleep better at night, but the pattern of dishonesty is a never-ending whirlpool, which ultimately drowns the individual indulging in it.”

She adds that the quality of honesty makes people who practice it radiate a certain spiritual power. “People in higher positions of power are, with a few exceptions maybe, invariably honest. It’s a difficult path to follow, but what comes out of it is unbelievably rewarding.”