The Power of Honesty: How to Create a More Truth-Honoring Society

The blind beggar of Galatia, Aesop, told a story of a boy who could not tell the truth.

The boy tended a flock of sheep. The men of the town told him to call if a wolf threatened. He wondered if they would come, so he cried, “Wolf, Wolf.” And the men ran to his aid, only to find no wolf.

They returned to their work, and the boy thought it great fun. So he cried again, “Wolf, Wolf,” and the men came running. More irritated, they scolded him and left.

Then, he heard the low growl of a wolf, and he started his cry the third time. This time no one came because no one believed him. And the wolf carried off the sheep.

Our world has many “wolf criers” who ignore the honesty around which our world revolves.

George Santos sits in the halls of Congress, elected on a resume worthy of a novice fiction writer. He admits it but occupies a seat in the House of Representatives. Yet, few are concerned about the lack of truth.

Sam Bankman-Fried, the curly-haired whiz kid who established the crypto mammoth FTX, is now under arrest for duping others. Today, he maintains his innocence despite growing evidence of alleged fraud. The results are losses of billions of dollars.

These are but two sad examples of the decline of the honest man in Western society.

Tragically, we have grown more skeptical for a good reason. Scams skim money off the vulnerable, and hucksters perform hit-and-runs on even the savviest.

Trust is cement holding societies together. It creates the commerce of free enterprise. We expect people to pay their bills and their debts. Cooperation between people depends on whether I can take you at your word.

If you cannot trust a person at one point, you cannot trust them at any point. One lie, one falsehood destroys trust. In the future, you will always ask, “is he telling me the truth?”

I once counseled a married couple whose relationship was crumbling. The husband had multiple affairs, and his wife had had enough. She was cold and sullen.

The husband said, “I will do anything, but I just need her to trust me.”

I leaned in, looked him in the eye, and said, “that is the one thing you will never again have. You broke it. If she ever trusts you again, it will take years.”

It wasn’t the news he wanted to hear.

In the time of Jesus, men had grown sloppy with words and ethics. They sought creative ways to get around the truth. They developed a “shorthand” to sound honest without being so.

A man might say, “as sure as the temple stands in Jerusalem.” Yet, this was a hollow exercise in “honest lying.”

Instead, Jesus counseled:

“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” (Matthew 5:37, ESV)

Say what you mean and mean what you say. Anything less or more smacks of a wolf cry.

Honest people do have to “cross my heart and hope to die.” Their character precedes the words.

What do we do to create a more truth-honoring society?

First, each of us needs to clean up our own skirts. When have you embellished a story? It’s not much, but it chips away at character. The more you grow accustomed to not telling the truth, the easier it becomes. Make it a point to be open and authentic.

Only when personal honesty improves will national honesty grow.

Second, refuse to tolerate dishonesty in others. Ask pointed questions. The truth stands examination, but falsehood doesn’t. Refuse to do business with or accept anything less than transparency.

The poet wrote:

Were the whole world as good as you—not an atom better—

Were it just as pure and true as you;

Just in strong in faith and works;

Just as free from crafty quirks;

All distortion, all deceit;

Schemes its neighbors to defeat;

Schemes its neighbors to defraud;

Schemes some culprit to applause—

Would this world be better?

So cleanse your heart and your words. Yes or no. Be that clear–and that truthful.