Have you tried telling the truth?

I have been watching a television series called House M.D. since 3 months now. This series is about an anti-social doctor who has great diagnostic skills which he exercises with the help of his crack team of doctors. His wits and ability to do whatever it takes for solving puzzling cases is what maintains the audience’s interest. The fact that he has only half a muscle in his right leg establishes the anti-social behavior and tendency to lie. The real catch here is that he is not only good at lying but also good at reading people. This helps him in getting the truth out of his patients with help of several tricks and traps. This truth may or may not play a role in the diagnosis but it does change the lives of his patients altogether.

So, have you tried telling the ugly truth; or are you waiting to be bedridden for someone like Doctor House to reveal it? What I would like to mention here is that the truth may not give direct results always, but it does have long term benefits against the lie. One simple example I want to share is that of the vegetable market. Following is the narrative:

Me: “How much for these apples?”

Vendor: “70 rupees per kilogram.”

Me: “Last week I bought 1 kg for 60, can you give me the same deal?”

Vendor: “Sorry, these are more fresh”

While making the purchase for 1 kg of apples I handed over a 100 rupee note and he returned me 4 notes of ten. After counting, I realized that he gave me one extra note and gave it back.

That was the little satisfaction of truth which made me feel good about it. Though this may seem quite trivial, I have seen people lying about such things as well. For instance, if I would have simply accepted that extra note to satisfy my urge of getting the apples at the desired price, it would have left a little stain on my soul.

Again, there are examples of people who lied about millions of rupees without feeling any remorse. But that does not justify lying. Just try and imagine a world where everyone is lying to you with the most despicable agenda. How would you feel when not just the strangers but the people whom you trust the most, lie to you?
And this is something that is already happening. So how do we maintain trust? The only answer is, by not lying. Watch this video about a girl who goes on a trip with her friends after lying to her father. Though she managed to fool him, she simply could not enjoy the trip until she told the truth.

You don’t need to rely on blog posts like this to face the moments of truth. Try to face it everyday when you look at yourself in the mirror by asking just one question, “Have you tried telling the truth?”