Is Honesty a natural choice for us humans?
By achilles2010
@achilles2010 (3051)
India
July 27, 2010 10:18pm CST
Is it natural for us humans to be honest?
If yes then why do we love to be honest and praise those who appear to be honest. Is Honesty a natural choice for us humans?
7 responses
@suryachalla (1369)
• India
29 Jul 10
Honesty means predictability, and predictability means faith and trust. All humans inherently try to understand the world around us and the universe; to differentiate the known from the unknown. Something which is known gives us a pattern of predictability. So if you believe someone to be honest, you know how that person is going to react in a particular situation, and this is what gives you faith and comfort. Naturally, you like people who are honest.
@suryachalla (1369)
• India
16 Aug 10
Why do you think the cliche: "Honesty is the Best Policy", was developed?
Since birth, we inherently go on accumulating knowledge only of what we know and understand; to "understand" means that something/someone is "predictable. Since we believe in this predictability, the predictability is what constitutes our "known universe". Most children cry when a stranger with a 'gargoyle' face says, " chi, chi! Come to me!" Why? Because of the terror of the unknown.
How is honesty important in business?
We are all afraid of the unknown and unfamiliar. If someone behaves in an unfamiliar or unpredictable manner, we react with fear. When you do business with your customer, he places implicit trust in you. He believes you will always behave in a predictable manner with him, showing prompt service with a smile. He believes you will never cheat or betray him. He believes that you will be a component of his growth and success in the world. The sum of all these beliefs is - TRUST, his trust in you. In business, this trust translates to "transparency", i.e. the person knows that whatever you do will be "above board" (fair or honest). If your behavior becomes unpredictable (loses transparency), he loses his trust in you, and it is equivalent to his going down several rungs on the ladder of confidence, growth, success and happiness in life, because he has come so far believing that you are an essential spoke in his wheel of survival, growth and success. We have now understood the paramount importance of trust.
In your business, you must take care at all times to maintain the confidence and trust imposed in you by your customers. If your customer loses trust in you, he will always be in fear of you and certainly, he won’t ever do business with you again.
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
16 Aug 10
You are right surya, we interact with the people on the premise, what if he is not honest, and not on the premise that he would always be honest, because then we would be in for shocks and surprises. We always presume that it is natural for the people to be dishonest. Therefore, we have oaths, vows, signed documents and legal procedures to take care of the situation if the person turns out to be dishonest.
@captain534 (177)
• India
28 Jul 10
Yes nature for us to be honest because as we all know that honesty is the best policy.If I were very honest every one can believe me, trust,listen and I may get respect from other.When ever honest people face problem he or she get help from his friend.
@veejay19 (3589)
• India
28 Jul 10
Its not just honesty but all virtues are natural to Man.A newly born child is completely innocent and has no virtues or vices. It is like a sheet of spotless white paper on which there is not even a smudge.However as it grows older and comes under the influence of the world and all its trappings that the virtues and vices get imprinted in it. Today the reason why we praise another person for his honesty because it has become a rare commodity in human beings.The world is populated by people with all kinds of vices and bad qualities that it is difficult to find a completely virtuous person. It is like finding a needle in a haystack.Today almost everyone has some skeleton tumbling out of his or her cupboard and so when we come across a completely honest and virtuous person, we lavish fulsome praise on him/her and extoll his/her virtues to the sky.
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
29 Jul 10
I agree honesty is the rare commodity, thanks for answering, happy mylotting. 
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
29 Jul 10
We naturally choose to lie, I agree. Thanks for answering. Happy my lotting.
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
29 Jul 10
God gave us free will, we choose how we make use of that free will, either we chose to live honestly or dishonestly. Thanks for answering, happy mylotting.
@achilles2010 (3051)
• India
29 Jul 10
Spirit is willing to be honest but the flesh is weak great, thanks for answering, happy mylotting.
@keep_onwatch (2680)
• India
29 Jul 10
Yeah, I guess it is, we are made in the image of God, so that means we do posses his qualities and one among them is honesty for sure. So we are born with all those qualities, but use our own thinking to decide if we want to use those natural instincts or have our own way of thoughts lead us.
