To Lie or Tell the Truth?

Have you ever struggled about lying? I did!

But here is what I really think . . .

     We have always heard about “white” lies which to many people, are considered good-hearted lies. White lies are told in situations when we are not sure whether or not to tell the truth. Sometimes covering up a miserable event or an embarrassing moment with a white lie is necessary for us in order to protect others’ feelings and our own emotions. However, despite the advantages of a white lie, I would say telling the truth is always better because my family and education have solidified this belief in me.

     From childhood, I have been conditioned not to lie by my father. My father always taught me to be an upright person by showing me how to be honest himself. He openly revealed and confessed his wrongdoings to me. For instance, whenever my father drank beer, he honestly showed me the number of bottle of beer he had drunk. He admitted that beer is detrimental to his health and promised me that he would drink as little as possible. It really touched me because refraining from drinking beer is not an easy thing to do for many people. My father’s honesty regarding his beer addiction truly influenced and encouraged me to learn from him.

     From elementary school, I have been taught to tell the truth by my teachers. When I was in the third grade, there was one time that I was late for Mandarin class. On the way to the classroom I was extremely fearful about mark deduction or any other punishment as a consequence of my lateness. After a moral struggle, I lied to my teacher saying that my watch told the wrong time which led me to be late. In fact, I was playing soccer with my friends and totally forgot the time. To my surprise, the teacher found out that I was lying and instructed to me in a gentle but stern voice: “It’s okay to make mistakes. We all do. However, I’d rather you do things wrong and be honest about it rather than using lies to cover up what you did.” At that moment, I was greatly moved by her wise words, and from that point on, I became increasingly upright and honest.

     In short, people close to me played a vital role in transforming me into becoming an honest person. Even though it is extraordinarily difficult not to tell a single lie in life, we should strive to lie as little as possible in order to establish mutual trust between each other.

 Let's all be honest and create a truthful world with our collective effort . . .