Honesty

In one of my classes for high school one year, we were assigned to do a group project. As a group, we needed to make a survey, get people to take it and then look at the results. I was having difficulty finding a group, when a few friends told me that I could be a part of their group. The project was started, and soon the end of it came, and I contributed nothing to it. This teacher knew that many times in group projects there would be a few people who did the bulk of the work while some did nothing, so to make the grades represent that, she had us as individuals write down what we noticed, who was helping, who wasn't and other things along that line, so she could base individual grades off of individual effort. I knew I did nothing to help, so I wrote down how I did nothing and should get an F.


I don't tell this story to say "look at me, I did this hard thing", but to show a point about honesty. It could have been easy for me to lie, I had no idea what the others in my group wrote down, but I knew what I had not down and what I deserved; I knew that it was more important to be honest than to get a good grade.

In my favorite musical, "Les Miserables" the Character Jean Valjean had his honesty tested. He, after breaking parole and starting a new life, became a mayor of a town. He learns that a man was recently captured and is suspected to be Valjean. My favorite song from the musical then starts with Valjean pondering about the news he learned. He thinks to himself "he thinks this man is me...this man might be my chance. Why should I right this wrong when I have struggled for so long." He has been imprisoned for nineteen years because he stole a loaf of bread to feed his sister's starving family. He sees the opportunity that is in this case, if this man is convicted in his place, he would no longer be on the run from the law, he could carry on his life as mayor free of worry. He then realizes the weightier matter, he would be condemned if he spoke and declared himself Valjean, but if he didn't, he would face a much greater condemnation before God. He reflects on the question "Who Am I?" As he faces the inner struggle he continues thinking "must my name until I die be no more than an alibi? Must I lie?" He questions "How can I face my fellowmen?" and then realizes that the greater question "How can I face myself again?" He comes to learn that although his fellowmen may never learn of his dishonesty if he stays silent, he will forever have to face himself and knowing he condemned an innocent man to save himself. He learns that honesty and self-respect are closely related.

We face many chances in our daily lives to choose to be honest or dishonest. We may think to ourselves as the scriptures put it "lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this." (2 Nephi 28:8) We may fall into the trap of thinking that there is no harm in being a little dishonest. Like Valjean, we too must learn to put our integrity and character before our pride an ambitions.

Imagine if our Father in Heaven was not completely honest. The scripture Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." would be meaningless. God would go from someone we should "trust with all our hearts" to a being whose word means nothing.

Our life is about striving to become more like our Father in Heaven who is completely honest, so let us live honest lives. We will respect ourselves more and will be trusted more by all we meet.