Honesty

I was watching Fox News last night. I know that makes me a right-wing wacko, but whatever. When one of Bill O’Rielly’s guests called something a “lie” Bill corrected him saying “misrepresentation” was a better word. Really, Bill? I thought this was the “no spin zone.” Please comment if you can explain the difference between “lie” and “misrepresentation.”

Apparently it’s politically incorrect to call a lie, a lie. I heard yesterday about a child who is having a problem with “misrepresentations.”  If kids hear lies, called anything else, is it any wonder that they don’t think lying is a big deal.

A recent article I read gave advice about teaching kids honesty. Maybe our nation’s leaders and our television personalities could use an honesty short course as well.

Model it – Most behavior is learned. We can’t expect the people who admire and model us to act differently from us. If you expect others to be honest, don’t lie, about anything.

Teach it – There are plenty of examples, some of them in scripture, about the value of honesty and the pitfalls of lying. Kids, politicians and news people need to hear them. We once had a President whose nickname was “Honest Abe.” That was a very long time ago.

Enforce it – Kids who lie should be punished. It’s tougher to enforce honesty in adults not under our command. Can’t we at least start with being honest about their lying?

Encourage it – We should expect honesty and, since it’s become so rare, point it out when it occurs. Honesty and courage are linked. We lie because we fear being found out. We lie because we are embarrassed by the truth. We lie because we are chicken.

Reward it – Let’s try, at least once a day, to tell someone, “Thanks for being honest.” If we look for opportunities, we may find many. A friend will tell us the truth. We could all use more friends. We could all be better friends.

Oh, by the way, the lie and the liar being discussed on Fox News, was our President.  Sadly, he’s not nearly the only liar out there, but shouldn’t honesty start at the top? I used to cringe at the joke: How do you know a lawyer is lying? His lips are moving. Now it seems the joke has universal application. I’m really not picking on the President. In three hours of news watching, nearly everyone who spoke said at least one thing that was obviously not the truth.

Honest Abe, how we miss you.

Be blessed.