Truth

"Was he a liar? That was a delicate question. Even a liar might be trustworthy in some ways." pg 54. Is it sometimes better to tell a lie than tell what actually happened? Many times we face two options when we have to face another person about something we did. We can either tell the truth or a lie about what happened, but then comes the dilemma of what's the best thing you should do. Is it always better to tell the truth? Ethical values play an important role in this choice making. So how can we judge others about the choices they make if it's all based on what they believe to be good and bad? And then there's the positive and negative effects of telling the truth or a lie. When we make the choice of electing one of them, we know there will be consequences, but how do these consequences vary? We are taught to tell the truth always, and never lie to a person. But sometimes a lie can bring more positive things than telling the truth. Hiding some things from some people can actually keep them in better shape than if they were told the truth about something. In other words, lying can sometimes prove to be more ethical than telling the truth. An example of this would be a normal case scenario anywhere. When you meet a person you have never seen before, you automatically begin to analyze him of all the good and bad things he has. When we talk to them, though, we don't greet them by telling them: "Hi, your pants suck, your head is too big, and you walk like a 3 legged giraffe." And wouldn't that be telling the truth?

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That's why it becomes obvious we are telling lies all day long in order to maintain order, and to have a more positive effect on the person than if we told them the truth about everything. But then there's also the other case where you have to take responsibility for your actions. In this case there's no doubt of what sticks to the ethical values. Telling the truth will always be the best, even if we know it might not be the best for ourselves. Finally, there's the hardest of all choice making regarding whether to tell the truth or a lie. If there was an old woman to whom her sister who lives far away, and with which she doesn't talk regularly, had just passed away and you had to either tell her or not, what would you do? You know that at her age she is very sensitive to anything that happens, and might not be able to take it, but then you also think about her right to know. This is one of the hardest cases you can find, but it does happen. How would you choose? In cases like this one it all depends on what you consider the best choice. Neither of the two choices could be considered better than the other, since they both have a positive and negative side to it. Deciding which one to tell her would depend on your values, on what you believe to be the best.