Is honesty really the best policy?

Our Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, or Bapu, as he is fondly called, created a revolution in many minds with his principles of honesty and non violence, so much so that, even today, the POTUS, Barack Obama and many other influential and key people talk about Gandhian ideals and principles. Since childhood, we have been taught that we must always be truthful and forthcoming irrespective of the consequences and have been told stories where the truth is always rewarded.

But sadly that's not the way things work in real life. I was reading Shantaram, wherein, he tells a man- who, even after very bad multiple injuries, was miraculously alive- that he didn't stand much of a chance. The color faded off that man's face almost immediately and he passes away shortly. Reflecting on it later, he said, "Of the hundred things that I wish I'd never said or done in my wicked life, that quirk of honesty is right up there, near the top of the list." Hope was the only thing that man was holding onto and that too had been taken away from him. He would have probably survived if Lin wouldn't have been so blunt with him. So where should be draw the line with our honesty?

Even in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, being honest is associated with the righteous while being dishonest is associated with the evil. It has been ingrained in us to accept this definition of right and wrong. According to the Johari window, there are many things about an individual that others are aware of but one oneself is not aware. Some of these things are too painful for one to accept, and for those specific things, ignorance is bliss indeed. We have no right to disturb this arrangement and ruin some one's peace with the truth. The truth can be the most lethal weapon at times.

Just imagine what would happen if everybody went around speaking their mind and being completely honest about everything. We won't only expose their side they are not aware of, but also burden them with our expectations and prejudices. We might lose all our loved ones because the ironical part about the truth is that no matter how much people claim to love it, it hurts, and it hurts real bad. We must change our perception, and learn to use honesty judiciously, each case on its own merit. In the face of this, diplomacy seems like an art we must all master.