The philosopher and theologian Peter Kreeft has some wonderful insights into human life. In his little book BEFORE I GO, which is a series of lessons he wrote for his children, he has a thought provoking reflection on honesty. I share it with you here:
Honesty is the foundation for all virtues. No virtue can grow in darkness. Virtues only grow by a kind of spiritual photosynthesis. Light is the universal catalyst for all moral growth and honesty lets in light. Honesty with others begins with honesty with yourself. If you play little hide-and-seek games with yourself, you create in yourself the habit of doing that with others. If you don’t even respect yourself enough not to lie to yourself, you won’t respect others enough not to lie to them. For honesty, the very first question is always, “Is it true?”—even before “Is it good?” For it has to be truly good. And “Is it true?” certainly has to be put before “Is it comforting? Is it convenient? Do I like it?” and even more obviously, it has to be put before “Is it popular? Does everybody say so?” Wait! What do you say? You’re not “everybody”. And what does truth say? Truth is not “everybody”. You should say what truth says. God is truth. Gandhi says: “God is not in strength but in truth”.
