The question " Can a person still be considered honest if they tell lies?"" is an interesting topic. Your dealing with two different things that both have different meanings. Almost the opposite. I myself understand there is a strict line between honesty and lying. Crossing over the line is crossing the line. You cant lie and still be honest.
For starts, i have to define a couple of things. First is the definition of the word Honesty. Honesty means simply stating facts and views as best one truly believes to be. The other word is Lie. A lie, is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protects someones feeling's or to avoid a punishment. So i ask, can someone lie and still be honest. Technically speaking, No. Truthfully, HOW can you lie and be honest? What about if your telling the truth? You would be considered honest, right? So how can you justify telling a lie (doesn't matter how big, a lie is a lie) and being honest. This can go for yourself. If your truthfully honest to your self or not. I witnessed in the classroom how people defined the types of lies and lies that are considered OK. A classmate said " It would be OK if there feelings were going to get hurt." The example the classmate gave us was "Well, if my friend was trying on a dress and she asked me "If i looked fat in this dress" and I said No, even though she was, to be okay because her feelings were at stake."
With that said, I want to furthermore discuss this point. If the girl trying on the dress was asking for an opinion on how she looked in a dress, and you mislead her, how is this honest? I know you were trying to be nice, but that's not the point. I also have to say is she knew she looked fat, she probably wouldn't have asked you unless she wanted a second opinion. I would rather have somebody tell me the truth rather than lie. Doesn't matter what it is. Nobody wants to be lied to. And if you lie, how is somebody going to trust you. This is where honesty come is. So if people are thinking you can lie and still be honest, where do you draw the line? Most people I asked this question to said you can lie and be honest so now I ask. Is it alright to lie just when some body's feelings are going to get hurt? People seem its okay to draw the line there. On average, most people lie ATLEAST two times a day. That's millions of lies a day. Its kinda crazy to think everybody is going to lie today about something.
I still think to be honest, you cant lie. Even if its to safe someone. That doesn't make it alright to lie. There is more reasons Ive witnessed why people lie and think its fine. But, the most I've seen is where somebodies feelings were in jeopardy so I was addressing that particular issue. Most people still consider themselves honest and sweep the lie under the carpet. I said it before, Lie and Honest are two different things. And with that said, you can not lie and still be honest.
1 comment:
I think you have good points about the distinctions between honesty and lying. If you wanted to add more to your essay, you could say that lying to someone to prevent hurting their feelings could end up doing more damage in the long run. About the girl asking if she is fat in the dress, you could say that being told she looks good may keep her from changing her lifestyle, all because she trusts her friend instead of looking at herself and thinking she could be happier if she did something to change the way she looks and feels. I hope that helped, and I was wondering if you could comment my essay because one of my partners didn't post their blog. Good job.
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