It is increasingly clear to me that lying has become an acceptable thing to do in our culture.  People do it to avoid consequences, to impress others, to get jobs, to make friends and various other things.  But in the end, sooner or later, the truth wins out.  Deception is not okay.  The gravity of each instance varies by the seriousness of the infraction, but eventually it becomes clear that the claim that was made, was in fact, a lie.

We all know what it feels like when one has been at the receiving end of a lie.  You can feel like a fool for believing the falsehood.  You can feel betrayed.  You can be angry.  You can be deeply hurt or even feel stupid.  But it’s always important to remember that this was not your mistake.  The one who lied is the one who is responsible, the one who is at fault.

This leads me to the point of being earnest and telling the truth.  It is, quite simply, the right thing to do.  Doing the right thing may seem to be out of fashion when one is young and the people around you behave in this untrustworthy manner, but the bottom line is, no relationship has true value unless there is trust.  Without trust, a relationship can never be more than superficial.  And that kind of relationship is not worth having.

I know from my own experience and the experiences shared with me by others, that everyone needs at least one really good friend to get through the challenges we face in our lives.  If you have at least one person you can trust, you can recover and endure almost anything.  The reason that this is so, is that we all need to be able to count on someone to be sincere and truthful with us.

So, what we need to do, is learn how to be a real, true friend.  By being a good friend, by being honest and telling the truth, a person contributes to the well-being of our society.  We could change the entire world if it were filled with people willing to be earnest with one another and be there for each other.  And that would be a wonderful thing to behold.