What Has Happened to Honesty?

A CERTAIN firm in the United States went out of business. For more than 60 years it had sold garden seeds. Its agents were young boys and girls who wrote in for seeds, sold them to their neighbors and sent a portion of the money back to the firm. Why did the firm go out of business? Because the child-agents were dishonest. Too many of them failed to return the seeds or kept the money they got from selling them.

What would you conclude from the fact that a firm relying on the honesty of children could operate for 60 years but now was forced out of business? It seems as though children are not as honest as they used to be, does it not? However, children are not the only ones who are more dishonest. Middle-aged folk still remember the time when they could confidently leave their house with the front door unlocked, or leave a bicycle on the sidewalk and not have it stolen. It is not that way anymore in most places.

In a survey sent out by the magazine Psychology Today, most of the thousands who answered admitted to either minor or major dishonesty. Ninety-three percent admitted that they occasionally drove faster than the speed limit. Sixty-eight percent had taken office supplies or other materials. Sixty-seven percent had cheated when possible on examinations or school assignments. Forty-five percent had cheated on their marriage mates. And many had sent in false tax returns, had failed to declare a dutiable item at customs, had improperly used the company phone to make long-distance calls or had cheated on an expense account.

Why All the Dishonesty?

Many reasons for dishonesty have been suggested. Here are some of them.

Parental example: When the seed firm wrote to the parents of the children that owed it money, it often received a letter to this effect: ‘You’re a big company; you don’t need the money and you’re only trying to cheat my child.’ It is not difficult to see why those children learned to be dishonest.

Because it is easy: In replying to the above-mentioned survey a young student wrote: “There is always the pressure to excel to make high grades, and even if I’m prepared for an exam, I may cheat anyway. . . . Students cheat openly and obviously and many teachers do little or nothing about it. In short: I do it because I can get away with it.”

Poverty: Doubtless, poverty​—or fear of poverty—​leads to a lot of stealing and cheating, although people generally seem to have been more honest during the prewar Depression years despite widespread poverty. And many dishonest people are far from poor. Consider a case reported from Japan. A group of men were found to be cheating a railroad company. They had found a way to pay a little less than they should for the trip home after a day’s golfing. Did they cheat because of poverty? Hardly. One of the cheaters was a company president!

Greed: A newspaper columnist wrote: “This naked lust for money underlies most of the nation’s moral problems.”

Bad example: This same columnist wrote: “Look, if you will, at our leaders. Our Congressmen, through slush funds and assorted ‘perks,’ leave what they are pleased to call ‘public service’ indecently rich, with fat pensions. And what about our captains of industry? The robber baron is not extinct. There’s hardly a corporate prince who hasn’t made his boodle by selling America short.”

A climate of dishonesty: A report in Newsweek magazine said: “Many of the same Americans who complain loudly about white-collar criminals are really small-time crooks themselves. Poor Americans cheat the welfare system and middle-class and upper-income citizens alike treat expense accounts as ‘swindle sheets’ and underreport their taxable earnings to the Internal Revenue Service. ‘In this society, everyone partakes.’”

Whatever the causes, though, how do you feel about dishonesty? Do you enjoy being lied to or cheated? Are you happy to pay higher insurance premiums because of widespread insurance fraud, or higher prices to cover shoplifting and employee theft? Would you consent to having your wife or husband cheat on you? Probably not. But this is what is happening today, and we are all affected in one way or another. In such a world, whom can you trust? Do things have to be this way?

Does Honesty Pay?

HONEST-HEARTED people are distressed by the dishonesty they see in the world. Some are even distressed by the dishonesty they find in themselves. One woman wrote: “I have . . . been somewhat disappointed to notice what may be a deteriorating quality of my own truthfulness.” Another said: “Too often lately it seems I take the path of least resistance.”

But do we have to be dishonest just because so many others are? No. There are still people around who refuse to be dishonest, and some formerly dishonest individuals have changed. Where, though, can we find a good reason to stay honest in this dishonest world? In the Bible.

The Bible helps us to be honest because it was inspired by the most trustworthy Person of all, Jehovah God. It encourages us: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart.” (Proverbs 3:5) Experience has shown that things always work out for the good of a person who trusts God to the extent of following His counsel, as in this matter of honesty.

How to Be Honest

Read some of the things God says about honesty. Then imagine what the world would be like if everyone followed them.

“Now that you have put away falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor.”​—Ephesians 4:25.

If everyone spoke only the truth, what would life be like? Why, there would be no dishonest politicians, no swindlers, not even any malicious gossipers!

“Let the stealer steal no more.”​—Ephesians 4:28.

Stealing includes such acts as filling out false tax returns, refusing to pay legitimate bills, taking materials from work without authorization, and fraudulently claiming welfare benefits, as well as things like shoplifting and mugging. According to one estimate, the United States national budget would almost balance if everyone stopped stealing from the government.

“A cheating pair of scales is something detestable to Jehovah.”​—Proverbs 11:1.

How would you feel if you were sure to get a fair deal every time you went shopping? Just imagine a world with no sharp business practices, where you could buy a secondhand car or a new house with equal confidence!

“Let every soul be in subjection to the superior authorities.”​—Romans 13:1.

Speeding, ignoring traffic signals, submitting fraudulent tax returns and dropping litter are just four of the many ways that people fail to be subject to their governments. How different things would be if everyone rendered proper subjection to the “superior authorities”!

“If anyone does not want to work, neither let him eat.”​—2 Thessalonians 3:10.

Laziness is a major cause of dishonesty and crime. The Christian should be willing to work, not relying on others to support him.

“Let marriage be honorable among all, and the marriage bed be without defilement.”​—Hebrews 13:4.

In the survey mentioned earlier, nearly half of all the married people who were asked admitted to cheating on their marriage mates. Surely, you can see what a difference the observance of this command would make as regards human relationships.

Is It Practical?

These standards are clearly excellent. But are they practical today? The answer is yes. God would not ask us to do something impractical or harmful to ourselves. Consider just a few of the advantages of being honest.

First, honesty leaves us with a clear conscience. This is not a negligible thing. Unless we are hardened by habitual wrongdoing, we know when we have done wrong and it bothers us. Our conscience does not trouble us when we are honest.

Then, if we are honest we will not be punished for dishonesty. An honest person does not get caught smuggling goods through customs, cheating on taxes or mugging his neighbors.

Again, our being honest makes life more pleasant for those around us. It even helps them to be honest. After surveying employees in big department stores, the magazine Psychology Today said: “If employees think top management is behaving honestly, they will probably think they are expected to behave honestly . . . But if the employees perceive (correctly or incorrectly) that top management is dishonest, they will be more inclined to justify and excuse their own dishonesty.” Most of us are not as influential as top management. But we all have some influence on those around us. And if we act honestly, that influence is good.

Furthermore, honesty leads to our being respected. A Christian employee at an airline office in Liberia found this to be true. She accepted a telephone call for her boss, and when he told her to say that he was out, she explained that she could not tell a lie. He angrily had her moved to another department. Soon her new boss asked her to cover up a shortage in the petty cash. She refused, and he, too, became angry. However, a few days later, someone was needed to carry thousands of dollars for deposit. Who was chosen? Why, this honest employee! Actually, her bosses respected her for her honesty. In fact, in difficult times honest Christians have found employment when others could not.

It is good to be respected, to have a clear conscience and to make life more pleasant for people around us. But there is a better reason for being honest.

The Best Reason for Honesty

The Bible tells us that God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) Yes, Jehovah God is honest, and he expects us to be honest too. Listed among the things that God hates are “a false tongue” and “a false witness that launches forth lies.” (Proverbs 6:16-19) God hates it when people tell lies to reduce their taxes, to steal from their employers or to take improper advantage of others in any way.

Perhaps you hate these things too. If so, you will be glad to know that God can and will do something about dishonesty. In fact, he will soon take drastic action. He promises: “Evildoers themselves [including the dishonest] will be cut off, but those hoping in Jehovah are the ones that will possess the earth. And just a little while longer, and the wicked one will be no more.”​—Psalm 37:9, 10.

Jehovah will not allow this earth to be dominated by dishonesty forever. He will remove those who insist on being dishonest, along with all other “evildoers.” However, those who treasure honesty and uprightness and who strive to do God’s will have a bright future. The psalmist asked: “O Jehovah, who will be a guest in your tent? Who will reside in your holy mountain?” The answer? “He who is walking faultlessly and practicing righteousness and speaking the truth in his heart. He has not slandered with his tongue. To his companion he has done nothing bad.”​—Psalm 15:1-3.

Today, it is a real challenge to be honest. But God is looking for those who will stay honest even in the face of temptation and pressure. They will fit well into the righteous “new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise.” (2 Peter 3:13) Today, many serve Jehovah God and try hard to keep his standards. Of course, these people are not perfect. But they believe God’s promise of a righteous “new earth.” And by the way they live now they show their sincere desire to be part of that “new earth,” or new society of people on the earth.

If you value honesty yourself, why not get to know these people? The publishers of this magazine will be happy to put you in contact with them.

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Bible knowledge promotes honesty, and this pleases God

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Honesty is practical. But in what ways?

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What is the best reason for honesty?

The Fine Fruitage of Honesty

□ Louis wanted to obtain a life-insurance policy and a disability-insurance policy. But he had a problem. He was a diabetic. When he applied for the insurance, one of the questions he had to answer was: Do you have diabetes or a history of same? Louis answered no. The insurance company wanted him to have a physical, but on the day of the physical, Louis did not eat. Hence, when he was examined, no surplus sugar was detected in his blood. So Louis got his policies.

However, he studied the Bible, and soon his conscience bothered him. So he told his insurance agent what he had done. The agent tried to dissuade him from telling the company, but Louis insisted and wrote them a letter. Happily, the company acted graciously toward him. They continued the life-insurance policy. However, they canceled the disability insurance, and yet they returned all premiums, plus interest, that he had paid on it. Now Louis serves God with a clear conscience.

□ Children can be honest too. Seven-year-old Eugene came to the Lost and Found Department at an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses and turned in a penny that he had found. The minister in charge of the department asked him why he was bringing in a penny. What could anyone do with a penny? “They could buy bubble gum or a piece of candy,” said Eugene. Anyway, he insisted that the penny was not his, and he did not want to be displeasing to Jehovah by keeping it. The one in charge said: “That was a fine thing to do. Thank you very much, and I hope whoever lost the penny will come back and pick it up.”

□ At another large convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it was reported that bills as big as $20 that had been lost around the stadium were turned in to the Lost and Found Department by young children, without any prompting from their parents. This is not unusual at such gatherings.

Honesty is required of those who desire God’s approval. And “an honest conscience” promotes happiness. (Hebrews 13:18) Indeed, honesty bears fine fruitage in many ways.