Emma Kaufman
October 2, 2006
Writing Workshop – Mr. Brown
This I Believe Essay

I Believe in Honesty

I believe in honesty and being true to myself. Without telling the truth and being honest, how can anyone trust me, and more importantly, how can I trust myself? By not telling the truth, I feel as though I am living a lie. It’s not hard to tell a lie, especially when the truth can hurt someone greatly. I know that I, along with most people, have told lies, but as I have grown up and learned what the consequences of lying can be, I know now that the consequences of telling the truth can be more rewarding to everyone.

As a little girl, I once lied to my mother about not having eaten some cake. When she discovered that it was indeed I who had eaten it, she lost her trust in me for the time being. It crushed me to see someone I looked up to and cared about lose her trust in me. I realize now that lying doesn’t only hurt the person being lied to, but also hurts the person lying. Even though I was not the one being lied to, I felt uncomfortable telling my mother that for a fact I had not eaten the cake. It felt wrong, as if I had done something that would result in punishment. I felt bad about lying to my own mother, and I wasn’t quite sure why I had. By telling the truth, someone may end up getting hurt in the process because I did something wrong, but I believe it’s the right thing to do.

Rumors start because of what people say about each other behind their backs. I try to avoid starting and telling rumors as much as possible, because there is usually no truth in them. I believe in telling someone the truth directly to their face, so that they know it’s coming from me and not someone else. I think it is important for people to realize that even though the truth might hurt someone, it’s coming from me; it is my point of view or opinion and not someone else’s idea of what I actually said. I want my friend to know that I care about her, and didn’t make up a lie to cover up the truth. By being honest and saying what I truly believe, I feel that I can respect myself knowing that I’m doing the right thing. If I can’t even be secure with myself, how can other people feel secure around me?

I would never want to hurt anyone with a lie or have their trust in me lost forever. Never will I stop telling the truth, because my beliefs mold who I am and who I would like to be; I want to be an honest person.

I would like to acknowledge Wesley Messino and Randa Atkins for proofreading my essay.