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When You Believe in Truth & Honesty
(But It Seems They Don’t)
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© Sylvia Henderson. All rights reserved.
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“Can I really be the only one in the world who believes people need to be truthful and honest?”
“Do I get angry or disappointed when I hear or read the news about yet another top-level leader being dishonest?”
“Do I live my life in a way that can be judged by society as ‘honorable’?”
“Am I truthful and honest even when what I say cannot be proven?”
“Do I behave in private—when no one else can see me—the way I behave in public where I am held accountable?”
If you ask yourself these questions, then guess what? So do I!
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Little Green Lies
Washington Post (Read Entire Article)
Would you ever lie to your spouse about your spending?
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I find myself in the quiet of my home, reading the paper or watching the news, asking myself, “What, again?”
I watch the trials of people on whom others depended, and these so-called leaders cheated, lied, and otherwise deceived their charges. Oh, excuse me...purportedly cheated, lied, and otherwise deceived their charges. Innocent until proven guilty.
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And then the jury decides that they are...guilty. Another bites the dust.
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But most of the accused do not “bite the dust” and truly get their due. They have the means to minimize their punishments. And when the media blitz dies down, how much do we think about these people afterwards?
Yet, what about those whose lives are shattered after these so-called leaders fail them? We forget these people, too, after the media blitz ends. “Tsk, tsk”, we cluck our tongues as we—occasionally—remember the masses who lose their savings or pensions or jobs or homes, and then we continue about our own business.
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Repeat the scenario again and again, as each incidence brings renewed media attention to another instance of mistrust and dishonesty. After repeated exposure and so many newly revealed incidents of mistrust, untruthfulness, and dishonesty, we become inured to what we read and hear. The messages we receive about what those we look up to are doing eventually either desensitize us or make us question our own values and beliefs. We start to wonder if we’re the crazy ones for believing in—and trying to live our lives with—truth and honesty.
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White House Got Early Warning on Katrina
Washington Post (Read Entire Article)
“In the 48 hours before Hurricane Katrina hit, the White House received detailed warnings about the storm's likely impact, including eerily prescient predictions of breached levees, massive flooding, and major losses of life and property, documents show.”
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Perhaps we’re the ones who are weak. We certainly don’t get reassurance very often from our media outlets. In fact, the truthful and honest people are considered boring unless they are dubbed “whistle blowers” in a sensational, stand-out situation. And then, whistle blowers are discredited by the very people who have the means to do so, who also happen to be the dishonest and untruthful leaders who are revealed by the whistle blowers to begin with!
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Lying is Good For You
Forbes (Read entire article)
“If I told you lying was good for you, you probably wouldn’t believe me. But trust me--I’m not lying. Simply put, we lie because it works. When we do it well, we get what we want. We lie to avoid awkwardness or punishment. We lie to maintain relationships and please others. And, of course, most of all we lie to please ourselves. Whether we’re embellishing our credentials or strengthening our stories, we often tell untruths to make ourselves appear and feel better. What's more, we lie all the time.”
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Well, enough beating yourself up for trying to stick to your values. You need repeated encouragement to renew your belief in being trustworthy and honest. You need to show those you teach and influence—your children, your class, your troop, your colleagues—that trustworthiness and honesty are traits of a strong, positive individual. You need to reinforce to yourself that you are a strong and positive individual because you are truthful and honest.
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When You Believe in Truth & Honesty (But It Seems They Don’t)
is the reinforcement; the encouragement you need. When you read the words in this book you will say, “Yes! Someone else gets it. Someone else is as exasperated and frustrated by what goes on in the world as I am. I’m not crazy for sticking to what I believe.”
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SEC Widens Newspaper Circulation Investigation
Washington Post (Read Entire Article)
The Securities and Exchange Commission has asked several media companies to provide information about how they calculate paid circulation, an industry-wide inquiry that comes after circulation-inflation scandals at four large newspapers this year, the companies confirmed yesterday.
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Read When You Believe in Truth & Honesty (But It Seems They Don’t) and find messages you can pass on to others about sticking to their beliefs. Messages are communicated simply, rhythmically, and pictorially and are appropriate for youth (age 10 and older) and adults alike. Some of the references to events and situations mentioned may require explanation or research back to those incidents for a full understanding of the references. Such research—easily accomplished on the Internet or at the library—offer additional opportunities for conversation and discussion as a family or small group, which is what the messages encourage. Such research is optional, however, to the full effect of the book itself.
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With one small action you will have a message—a book you can share with those you care about keeping strong and positive. You can give the message as your gift of caring along with other more-concrete gifts to mark special dates in the lives of people you love. Or you can have a book you will refer to repeatedly for encouragement when you start to doubt your beliefs.
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You Gotta be Crazy! Cheating Students Plead Insanity
The Hook (Read Entire Article)
University students who allegedly plagiarized material in their term papers avoided expulsion from the school by claiming they had a “contributory mental disorder” that caused (temporary) insanity.
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 When You Believe in Truth & Honesty (But It Seems They Don’t) is a simple implementation, yet a powerful and lasting message. For the sacrifice of two lattes with whipped cream you have a priceless message whose value multiples each time you share it with others.
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 My gift to you is the ability to share with others, untethered by print restrictions. Plus, you do not have to spend your dollars on gasoline for your car to get this book at your local bookseller.
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This book is formatted to print as a 4.25”x5.5” mini-book.
Print four pages/sheet to standard-size 8.5”x11” copier/printer paper. Use pastel-colored, 22lb or heavier paper stock for a nice quality hardcopy book. Then cut the full-size sheets into quarter pages and bind on the left margin to form a mini-book.
I’ve punched holes in mine and inserted it into my schedule binder so it is readily available to read again and again.
Slip yours into your pocket, keep it in your glove compartment, sneak a copy into your teen’s backpack, or leave copies on the desks for your colleagues as secret gifts.
Or download the book to your portable reader.
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Hold fast to your beliefs of being truthful and honest. Reinforce your beliefs again and again.
What is your truth?
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When You Believe in Truth & Honesty (But It Seems They Don’t)
is yours...
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