Mother and Honesty
Shu Kitamura Mr Bell AP Lang 14 March 2013 Escaping The Pain I believe in honesty. I believe that a man should never lie; any human being, regardless of what situation he or she is in, should never lie. Honesty is the core of trust. Without being honest, one cannot be trusted. Because of the corruption that lies within our souls, there is not a single person in this world who has never lied. Honesty is the noble act in which one must be truthful to his or her actions when the moment calls for it.
Most people will find it hard to distinguish the moment, but being honest should be the priority. Honesty is an action that is free from all kinds of evil motives. There are times when parents lie to their children. I remember growing up believing that Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and all those other imaginary things were real. Lies like that are hard to confess to, especially to little children who dream about what they are getting for Christmas. That innocence does not allow us to confess to these fantasies. But there needs to be a time when a parent must be honest.
I remember when my father told me that the tooth fairy did not exist. He sat down with me and said “Shu, the Tooth Fairy isn’t real. Your Mum has been the fairy. ” The rest of the day I was in shock. The many dollars that accumulated have all been my mother’s money. It was not until after a few years did I realise why my father told me. It was so that I could grow from a baby to a boy. My whole life of fantasies was a lie. But it was to protect me. I realised that it was only a matter of time before I knew that Santa Claus was not real.
My father took responsibility and told me the truth. That is honesty. There are exceptions to when people have to lie to protect other people like children. It was to preserve a sense of innocence that would eventually die out. But in a sense, it was a lie. In addition to these little situations, there are many more problems out there. For example Ishmael Beah was lied to so he could join the army and fight against the Rebels. The generals took advantage of the fear and innocence that he had and turned him into a killing machine.
As his life progresses, he becomes more and more brainwashed as the generals feed him with fallacies and hatred. Once he was retired from the battlefield, he attended a rehabilitation centre for the war- torn children. Soon he was fed the truth and he was rescued. He could now see the world through his very own eyes. He believed that every child was lied to and that it was his mission to save others from these lies. Beah and I were both lied to yet the outcome was the same as we both lived in a fantasy. And once the truth was exposed, he was saved and I matured.
Honesty and the truth is the same thing, as both words intertwine in meaning and value. It is a valuable virtue that should be present among all people. When everyone in this world is honest, the world becomes honest and it becomes the “ideal” or “perfect” society. And so, people should practice honesty everyday whenever possible, so that an honest world can be built for ourselves and for future generations. I believe that one day, the world will unite as a whole with no pain and suffering. I believe in honesty.
