Honesty is the Best Policy
Meaning: In a nutshell, honesty is the best policy means that it is best to be honest. This proverb can be traced to philosophical ideas.
For instance in his work ‘Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals’, Immanuel Kant came up with the categorical imperative.
This principle means that we should act in the way we would like all human beings to act.
Policy of Honesty: Honesty refers to the quality of being honest, truthful and sincere. An honest man is fearless and courageous. He does not bow his head before others. He can face any situation in life with courage and confidence. Thus honesty is the best policy.
Causes of being Dishonest: We live in the world of competitions. There is a rat race for more and more wealth and power. It is an age of cut-throat competitions. People forget honesty. They want money and power through short-cut means. They want to be rich overnight. So they become dishonest. People feel that they cannot makes money if they are honest.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Honesty: Let us look at the whole thing critically. A dishonest man thinks that he will become rich by dishonest means. But this is not right. An honest man may be in trouble for want of money. But he will be happy in the end.
Money or wealth got through dishonest means does not last long. We earn it today and waste it tomorrow. A dishonest man is fearful, immoral and corrupt. He has no internal happiness. An honest man may be poor. But he is fearless, happy and contented. He is respected by all. But a dishonest man is hated in society.
Conclusion: A dishonest man may have some advantage for the time being. But he soon realizes his mistakes. A dishonest man is a curse to society. He ruins the whole system of society. Such a person should be punished. Even God is unhappy with him. So we should always believe in the saying, ‘Honesty is the best policy?.
