Has Honesty Taken A Vacation?

Has Honesty Taken A Vacation?

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“It has always seemed strange to me… the things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success. And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second.”    John Steinbeck

“Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving.”    James E. Faust

“The influence of a mother upon the lives of her children cannot be measured. They know and absorb her example and attitudes when it comes to questions of honesty, temperance, kindness, and industry.”    Billy Graham

I was wondering about this for some time, and believe it is necessary to be said. It is time we became more responsible for our own life, as well as any children that we have. I say this because our future is in jeopardy. We take none of the fault. When we find someone else to blame,  it takes the pressure off of ourselves. We fault someone over there. If we stopped to think, we would realize that our faultless finding, only adds to the problem and covers up truth.

People use the legal system, to sue anybody, that they deem capable  of any blame. This ensures someone, whether it be an individual or a company, will pay out money. The truth at times is lost in the arguments, companies and doctors who never professed to be God. They cut their losses and pay, even if they are aware they morally did no wrong. The court cases drag on for a long time, and it costs money to continue. The stress of it all is not even calculated.I am not faulting lawyers, because it is they who perhaps salvage our behinds when we need it. However, they take cases to further their careers, and because that is  what a lawyer does, which brings him money. I am wondering where our honesty went. In all of this we never question veracity. Everyone involved resorts to the quick fix and negotiates. Who is right or wrong usually doesn’t come up. It is just irrelevant.

We likely don’t understand why we have government problems, or social and academic issues. I would suggest we search for our honesty. Where did it go, and why are we not looking for it? It is as if we have given up on ourselves. We have all jumped into the game, without pause or reflection. It is a devious game, and has many ins and outs. The outcome can be beneficial at times, and costly at other moments. The stress is elevating, as we leap from situation to situation. Of course we are never sure of any results, because it is never based on accuracy.

Sorry to say this, but I am at a loss regarding our complete acceptance of wrong. We don’t have any parameters, for anything we say or do. Age, sex, ability to name a few, are never a consideration any more than anything else we can think of. No one owes us a life, health, education, job  or a living. There may be many times doctors make mistakes, because they are human. Most do not require a court case, yet many will go that route.

Yes the playing field is not fair to all, yet  so many people refuse to help themselves. Perhaps we must suffer a bit and struggle. Nobody, unless they are rich, gets it handed to them. Some people struggle, scrimp and save for their kids college. Only later do they find out, those people who didn’t bother to save, but spent on vacations, are eligible for more credit. Now with college rolling around they have less in the bank and guess what?  They are given aid and tuition help. Now that is also not fair.  My point is  there appears to be little decency anymore.

Some people who have been slightly injured, claim a greater injury and end up with a bundle. Again if one requires the health and aid great, but what about those who cheat the system. Many of our problem are due to our immorality. If there is an age limit on a park ride, we lie if it means our kids will get in cheaper. This appears minor but we go from there, and stretch it further. There is no limit to the possible depth of duplicity. This even occurs more frequently in our relationships, resulting in more martial break-ups.

School is the same way. Teachers know the truth, but they can’t speak up because they will lose their jobs.  So instead everyone calls out the  teachers, because of the failing grades. There are few miracle workers. Teachers have a mixture of kids, on various grade levels, an integration of children with special needs, and an abundance of behavior problems. Many kids who are not disciplined at home, arrive at school  and must be taught how to follow the rules. There are so many kids who are absent regularly, with the excuse of getting up too late. Others profess to having enjoyed a day off with mom or dad. The government has said no child can be held back ,regardless of where he or she is academically. The teacher does the best she can for the year she has with the child, and then passes the child along, to the next grade level. There is an outrage at graduation, which is the end of the schooling, because some kids can’t read. Guess who is blamed?

That does not make any sense to me.  We shout out bad teachers, doctors lawyers etc. now it is time we the parents unveiled the veracity in all of this, and give fault to us. We are the parents, yet we have turned over all rights and obligations, as well as responsibilities to others. Sometimes we don’t think about how our kids are dressed, or how they are doing at school. After all it is the teachers responsibility not ours.

I am totally for keeping our kids fed, and nurtured, but I do believe it is time those in authority started placing blame where it belongs, instead of being politically correct. It gets tiring and boring as well as useless, because nothing is going to change unless we change our attitudes. How can we teach honor, and righteousness, if we don’t show it by our example. It is time we reflected on what honesty means. I recall my ancestors saying, “His word is good.” It meant you could trust the person was not going to cheat you, or be dishonest. A written signature was not needed.

If we lived in a world where honesty was valued, we might find an abundance of food, money, clothing, education, and numerous other designs. It just takes a few of us, to make up our minds, we have had enough, and we choose integrity  from others and from ourselves. In that way, those that need it will have plenty, and those that don’t need it, will take care for themselves. The blame and fault finding must end, along with the false dream. The dream is not fooling anyone anymore. We are exhausted from pretending what is, and what isn’t. Let our conscience  be our guide for a change, and what a change there would be in the world.

“Treat those who are good with goodness, and also treat those who are not good with goodness. Thus goodness is attained. Be honest to those who are honest, and be also honest to those who are not honest. Thus honesty is attained.”    Lao Tzu

“Confidence… thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection and on unselfish performance. Without them it cannot live.”    Franklin D. Roosevelt

“I am afraid we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy.”    George Bernard Shaw

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