I have had a lot of things on my mind lately. I have started writing post after post, but stopped part way through as I decided that I just wasn't hitting what I wanted to address. Then, just a few days ago, I had a thought crystallize that has grown into this post. I hope it makes sense and brings some enlightenment.
In my church we have thirteen lines of scripture that we in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints commonly refer to as the Articles of Faith. As a child I had them all memorized, but as I have become older they have taken on a new meaning to me. While I no longer have them memorized word for word, I instead have attempted to incorporate them into my essence. What they mean is far more significant to whether or not I still know them exactly as written. Memorizing them has helped me understand them better, but now I work at using them as a check list for my own spiritual progress.
The thirteenth and final Article of Faith states "We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things". This is considered to be one of the "heaviest" articles of faith as there is a lot in it, and it is often regarded as the pinnacle of the mastering these articles of faith. I thought that I would use this article as a source of inspiration for this and some of my future posts. As I share my thoughts on this, I must clarify something here. Knowing that some who read this will not be members of my faith and may not be familiar with this Article of Faith, I feel that I need to acknowledge that my thoughts on this are my own and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. While what I am commenting on is considered to be scripture by members of my church, my thoughts and writing should not necessarily be considered official church doctrine (although I will try to connect it to official church doctrine and policies where I can, as well as provide links to articles that back up some of my ideas).
We Believe in Being...Honest
The first thing mentioned that we believe in is what has been on my mind the most. What does this mean, that I believe in being honest? I guess my preoccupation with this is that I see a lot in the world that seems to push honesty aside in favour of getting ahead, winning, or putting others down. For me, dishonesty includes more than just lying, but also cheating, stealing, manipulating, and deceitfulness. It includes a disregard for the truth to achieve a particular agenda. It includes willfully remaining in ignorance instead of seeking to know what the truth is. I see this all around me. I see it in schools, in politics, in media, and in communities. The more I see it, the more I see the moral decay of society. It is difficult for me to stand by silently and not call out examples of dishonesty when I see it.
In schools, I see students remain silent when asked about the actions of classmates that are against the school rules or are even breaking laws. This is difficult because in some instances I get why they remain silent. They fear retribution from their peers and classmates. I can understand their reluctance, but is that truly honesty? So often we decide to keep the truth hidden, thinking that what others don't know can't hurt us. In these instances, being honest requires courage. Others remain silent out of a warped sense of loyalty. This idea that you will lie to protect your friends and family is a difficult fallacy to combat. It makes me question how trustworthy that loyalty is. In my experience, this is not true loyalty. It is given out of fear. It is easily turned on. It hurts the people involved. True loyalty to friends should come second to a loyalty to truth.
In particular, I see a lot of areas in the realm of politics that we can be more honest. I am not referring to the politicians themselves, although I know that there are more than a few that can do a much better job at being honest. I am talking about us, the voters. So often I see posts on social media that are full of half-truths and outright lies. I get that people have very strong political ideologies. I get that politics is as much a battleground as anything else. What I do not understand is how normally good people pass along inaccurate statements and outright lies in the name of supporting the political candidate that most closely matches one's own ideas. It does not matter which side of the political spectrum that you are on, it happens all the time. What I find very disappointing is that when called on it, the person who is spreading the lies feels that because they do not think highly of the candidate in question that their use of lies is justified. Let me be clear on this, regardless as to how bad you think the person may be, if you willfully choose to spread lies about that person, then you are, at best, on the same level that you put your opponent on, if not lower. If you believe in being honest, then you do not have the luxury of choosing when honesty best suits you. A lie is a lie. You either believe in being honest or you don't. It's that simple.
This also means that when we read something on social media, we have to be thorough in our understanding of its accuracy. I used to post and share a quote that was attributed to a former leader in my church. It was rightly pointed out to me that there was no evidence that showed that this was actually said by that person. I then did my research and found that the person who started sharing that quote allegedly heard it from the man in question in a private conversation, and that he never stated it publicly. So I cannot verify that this leader actually said it. It was a little frustrating because having the quote attributed to a person of influence and esteem is always helpful in making your point. Still, it's a good quote, so I still use it. I just no longer attribute it to the person in question, and instead claim that I do not know who originated the quote. I have also seen various ideas and stories shared around, and when I do a little digging, I find that there is little more than hearsay (at best) to it. We need to be asking ourselves more often what the purpose is of that story. I find that the majority of these things are shared to tear down a group or an idea, and it is usually shared out of ignorance towards the truth of the matter. I have lost track the number of times that a person has shared something derogatory on inflammatory towards Muslims, and when I do my research I find that there is little to no validity behind it. People use wild statements to incite fear and distrust in pushing their own agenda, and others are gullible in passing the lies along without asking themselves if what they are sharing is truthful or not. In a real world of fake news there is an ever increasing need to fact check what we share. Speculation and opinions are not facts or truth.
Stealing is an insidious form of dishonesty. I am not just talking about stealing cell phones, money, or I-pods. It includes stealing credit and ideas. I have heard that lifting ideas from other parties is all a part of politics these days, and this is why I think that politicians are seen as among the most dishonest professions. It is also why people have a hard time trusting them. I have seen solid friendships disintegrate when one steals the ideas of another and claims it to be their own. In the past there have been many justifications for stealing. People lie on their taxes to save a few dollars and say that the government is only going to waste those dollars anyways. People download movies and music without paying the appropriate value for the hard work of those who made the art. We justify it by imagining that all singers and actors live a bloated, excessive lifestyle and have money to throw away, when we know that simply is not true. Of course, for people that do steal, they get mighty upset when someone else steals from them, and if they are truly honest with themselves they will admit that stealing hurts people. Two wrongs have never made a right.
Now, I understand that I am not perfect in being honest. That is not the point of believing in something. If we truly do believe in something, however, it is important that we work hard at it. It is vital that we examine and re-examine our dedication to that concept. Honesty is a big concept, but it really isn't all that complicated. Are we honest with our friends, our colleagues, our families, ourselves? When we find ourselves falling short, we must look at why and how, and then resolve to do better. Honesty is so much more than "the best policy". It is an essential part of the foundation of our character. If we are dishonest, how can we be seen as being committed or trustworthy? If we are constantly stretching the truth, how can people be expected to trust what we promise to do? When we are dishonest, we lose respect and esteem. We become a joke in the eyes of many. The fable of the boy who cried wolf teaches us a timeless lesson on being honest. There is no honor in lying, cheating, or stealing.
When I look at the 13th Article of Faith, I see so many parts of it that are tied to honesty. I will work to incorporate honesty into those in my future postings, but for now, I will end with a quote from another church leader, James E Faust. He stated: "Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving". If we do not love the truth and live the truth, then we are not being honest. If we believe in being honest, then we must embrace the truth, no matter how inconvenient that truth is. It might mean that we have to admit when we are wrong. It might mean that we have to acknowledge a lack of understanding. It often means that we are unable to please everyone, and it is likely that we will find ourselves on the outside of circles we once were familiar with. It doesn't mean that we are unkind. It doesn't have to come at the expense of compassion. Honesty, by itself, is meant to build.
