I was thinking today about people who lie a lot. Honestly some of them lie so much that they believe it to be the truth. So if they believe their lies to be the truth does that make them honest? This is a really good question that comes to my mind. Let’s explore what these terms mean and how they relate to ourselves and other people.
What is the definition of Honesty?
Honesty is a moral characteristic with attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, or absence of lying, cheating, and theft. Honesty is a personal opinion and only one person needs to believe it in order to be honest. So if you believe something to be true then you are being honest.
What is the definition of Truth?
Truth means something that is proven to be fact or reality. Truth requires multiple people to share the same view or opinion to be recognized as true.
What is the definition of a Lie?
A lie is a false statement made by a person or group who knows it is not the truth, intentionally.
Question #1 Can someone be honest while telling a lie?
The answer to this is simple, NO. For something to be considered a lie you must know that it isn’t the truth. Therefor you can’t tell a lie if you didn’t know differently.
Question #2 Can Someone be a liar while telling the truth?
Yes you can be a liar while telling the truth. If you didn’t know something was the truth and intentionally told a story you believed to not be true, even if it is, you would still be considered a liar. The fact that something is the truth doesn’t matter if you believe you lied about it.
Question #3 Can you be honest without telling the truth?
The answer to this is clear and it scares me. You can be an honest person without telling the truth. Honesty is what you believe to be true. The truth may be different and everyone else in the world may disagree with you. If you really believe it and think it’s true, then you are being an honest person.
My View On Honesty, The Truth, and Liars
This falls back to why I wrote this article. I know someone who thinks that everything they say is true. Their stories are so far out there, that there is no way they are telling the truth. The facts wouldn’t ever add up, and everyone agrees. I always say to myself “what a liar.”
Now I have to rethink that statement. If the person believes their own stories and they definitely aren’t the truth. It doesn’t matter because they aren’t intentionally telling a fib and therefor can’t be a liar.
Honesty is a very important characteristic to have. You should always pride yourself in being honest and having integrity. Sometimes standing up for what you believe in to be true and bucking the crowd can be a good thing. I want you to sit back and think about things you say everyday. How much of it is really the truth?
This may not apply to you at all. Some people are really honest and always have been. Some people can recognize the truth very easily. If we could all improve our honesty and how honest others think we are, then we could greatly benefit from this. Don’t lie if you know you aren’t telling the truth. If you believe your opinion is right and you have looked at both sides, then keep it. It’s not a lie if you honestly believe it. That’s your God given right. I hope this sheds some insight on your life. Good Luck!