And despite the research I've done, there are many questions left unanswered; stones left un-turned.
Stones Left Un-Turned:
There are many unanswered questions I still have, with related thoughts and ideas for further study, or at least consideration...
• Big & Small - Are there different sizes of lies or dishonesty (big vs. little)?
• What makes something a big or small lie?
• White Lie - What defines a white lie?
• Does the "size" effect how acceptable the dishonesty is?
• Liar - At what point is a person considered honest? dishonest?
• Honest Liar - Can one be dishonest but still considered honest? And vice versa?
• Justifications - What are common justifications for dishonesty?
• Morality - Is honesty good or bad? Why?
• Are there times honesty is bad? When?
• Are there times dishonesty is good? When?
• Religious Context - Why do most religions preach honesty as a principle?
• Why does the dishonesty of others feel so hurtful?
• Judging - Are we more judgmental of others dishonesty compared to our own?
• If we are dishonest, why can't others be?
• Solution? - Is accepting the dishonest nature of others and ourselves the healthy solution?
Why I Started This Project:
Lance Armstrong's Steroid UseI always valued honesty as one of the greatest measures of a man's character... I felt like this single virtue was more important than all others.
The birth of this project began in 2012, or at least started having heavy contractions... It was after Lance Armstrong was stripped of 7 Tour de France medals for steroid and other substance use and abuses.
All growing up I heard motivational speakers, casual friends, religious zealots, and even family members talk of Lance Armstrong... If he can do all that, despite how far he had to come to get there, then you can do [insert personal challenge]. I would hear this statement echoing from radios, television, articles in magazines or online, and people's mouths everywhere.
When he admitted to steroid use, the moral of his life became: don't live a lie.
Loved Ones Lying To MeBut it wasn't just him... like I said, I was all about honesty -- being honest with others, and with myself was all I felt mattered in the end (like, big life picture view).
With my family, coworkers, and girlfriend (and one specific friend) lying what seemed to be all the time, I wanted to get to the bottom of it all... Why were these AMAZING people, many of whom I looked up to, lying to me?
And thus it began...
What I Think Now:
I Am Dishonest (And So Is Everyone Else)I had no idea the magnitude this project would eventually lend itself to... After uncovering all the forms of dishonesty (allowing me to label dishonesty with titles), which is largely why I started the project, I realized how many titles there truly were. I realized that in a lot of smaller ways, I was dishonest!
I saw myself a little more realistically: a somewhat dishonest person... And not just that. I saw everyone as being dishonest to a certain extent -- even if it was just to themselves.
I Sympathize With / Understand DishonestyBecause I saw the world (or at least the people in the world) differently, I felt more sympathetic to something I once thought intolerable... Oh, what would my younger self say if he heard me say that?
Whenever I feel like being dishonest, I weigh it -- I'm not saying I'm dishonest like it's goin' out of style, but now I understand why I want to be dishonest, when I feel like I want to, and I know what levels of dishonesty I'm willing to live with (which is still pretty thin).
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