Honesty

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

Likely the most valuable coin of the realm in the secular world is honesty. As we meet other people, our reticence in exposing our vulnerable selves to them unconsciously centers around honesty. As we get to know them better, and they send signals that they mean no harm, we expose ourselves a bit more to them.  

If we ascertain, after some time, that they are altruistic toward others, especially us, we embrace their friendship.

Among little children these bonds are made nearly instantly, for they have not become jaded and collectively, they do not know how to be dishonest. They are our most vulnerable.

In communities of people who know each other, those with a reputation for honesty rise above the rest and are revered for their honesty. A violation of honesty can take place in acts of omission and acts of commission.

If, for instance, you know there is a bridge out down around the corner and you let a driver proceed there by your silence, that is an act of omission and is dishonest. On the other hand, particularly here in the South, we violate honesty with acts of commission. We call it politeness.  

It is false praise for someone’s looks or acts that are not worthy of praise. Or it is a comment about a third person not in a conversation starting with “Bless his heart…” We have become very skillful at this false praise.

Today, we have media sources assaulting us from every direction. We often don’t have time to assess their honesty, or perhaps at one time we viewed them as honest and now they have changed. Their fancy logo has not changed, so we erroneously assume they have not changed; all the while, the ones we perceived as honest have been long gone.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union adopted Pravda as their official house organ, even though it was founded in 1912, six years before the Russian Revolution. Pravda is the Russian word for “truth.”

President-elect Donald Trump named his social media platform “Truth Social.” I have no way of knowing if that was a purposeful mimicking of Pravda or not. Hope that is all it was.

We need to be careful with honesty (and truth). We can spend years developing an honest reputation and lose it in a flash with one inconsiderate act. The worst encounters we have are with the professionally dishonest. They approach us with intent to harm us and have carefully thought out their route of deception. Unsuspecting, we may be vulnerable to their designs on us, in the mail, on the phone, on the internet or in person. The elderly are especially susceptible to these malicious actions.

To protect yourself, follow these steps. If someone approaches you by one of the routes described in the last paragraph and is in a hurry for you to take some action, be aware and slow down. If a stranger offers you money or a reward for doing nothing, there is likely more to it and you will end up forfeiting more than you could possibly receive. 
 
Some legitimate charities sell their mailing lists, and you may receive mail from an organization you don’t know, saying you owe them money, or perhaps they have a plea in their mailer, and you feel a need to respond. Remember, if you respond to one mailer from an organization, likely within a few weeks you will get another.

As I said in the beginning, honesty is the most valuable coin of the realm. In both giving and receiving communications and actions with others, treat it with respect.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.