Is honesty really the best policy?
I was thinking about this the other night. I went out with a group of people to Martini. I've been trying to watch my money so I kept it light and the bill wasn't outstanding. Everyone was antsy to leave for happy hour at B. Hampton's, which I did not attend. While the checks were being passed out and everyone was quickly signing, I noticed my card hadn't been run through. The receipt was there, but there was no evidence of my numbers or a slip to sign.
My first thought was "FREE MEAL." I mean, how overpriced is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant? Should I really pay $9 for a tiny plate of butternut squash ravioli? Does Cameron Mitchell give back to the community? Is he a Republican? I thought of these factors a bit before flagging our server down to let him know.
He thanked me for my honesty and I cursed myself. The possibility of me ever going there again are slight. And would anyone remember? Stupid parents and their guilt trips! I could just hear them in the back of my mind shaming my dishonesty. It was the same way whenever I stole something. It was a rush, but at the same time I just couldn't enjoy it. No matter how disgusting of a corporation it was, I could never feel good about stealing. At least not usually anyway.
So...Is honesty the best policy? I don't know. Karmically speaking, yes. In Tom Morris' Business as Unusual he claims dishonesty is one of the biggest detriments to our society because it causes a lack of trust. Trust, of course, being essential and all. On the other hand, from a completely selfish point of view, honesty is crap. It doesn't always get what you want. Even if you do feel better about yourself...in that smug, self-satisfying way.
This question is difficult. It would help if I had some sort of guidelines by which I live. I mean, I do in some respects. I know what I believe. I think I know what I want. It's just not as cut and dry as following some sort of religion's rules. I just have to figure out what really is important to be a good person, to lead a satisfying and happy life.
I was thinking about this the other night. I went out with a group of people to Martini. I've been trying to watch my money so I kept it light and the bill wasn't outstanding. Everyone was antsy to leave for happy hour at B. Hampton's, which I did not attend. While the checks were being passed out and everyone was quickly signing, I noticed my card hadn't been run through. The receipt was there, but there was no evidence of my numbers or a slip to sign.
My first thought was "FREE MEAL." I mean, how overpriced is a Cameron Mitchell restaurant? Should I really pay $9 for a tiny plate of butternut squash ravioli? Does Cameron Mitchell give back to the community? Is he a Republican? I thought of these factors a bit before flagging our server down to let him know.
He thanked me for my honesty and I cursed myself. The possibility of me ever going there again are slight. And would anyone remember? Stupid parents and their guilt trips! I could just hear them in the back of my mind shaming my dishonesty. It was the same way whenever I stole something. It was a rush, but at the same time I just couldn't enjoy it. No matter how disgusting of a corporation it was, I could never feel good about stealing. At least not usually anyway.
So...Is honesty the best policy? I don't know. Karmically speaking, yes. In Tom Morris' Business as Unusual he claims dishonesty is one of the biggest detriments to our society because it causes a lack of trust. Trust, of course, being essential and all. On the other hand, from a completely selfish point of view, honesty is crap. It doesn't always get what you want. Even if you do feel better about yourself...in that smug, self-satisfying way.
This question is difficult. It would help if I had some sort of guidelines by which I live. I mean, I do in some respects. I know what I believe. I think I know what I want. It's just not as cut and dry as following some sort of religion's rules. I just have to figure out what really is important to be a good person, to lead a satisfying and happy life.
posted by suzified @ 6:39 AM
1 Comments:
At 11:18 AM,
Lewis said…
Your example highlights an anecdote about stealing, and I personally have difficulty justifying stealing simply for one's own gratification. But remember the complicated debates about hungry, stranded people taking food from stores after Hurrican Katrina struck? Taking TVs or ball gowns was seen by most as "looting," taking food for immediate survival was (appropriately, I think) not viewed as stealing.
But there are other situations in which honesty -- as in speaking the truth -- may be an insufficient guideline for action. There's an ethical rule, attributed by some to Sufi tradition, that challenges one to ask three questions before speaking: Is it true? Is it necessary? Is it kind? See this discussion of The Triple Filter Test? at Umm Zaynab's blog, A Muslim Mother's Thoughts.
Post a Comment
<< Home