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Honesty is the best policy. Your lies, like your sins, always catch up to you. Truth always triumphs over evil, at-least eventually. Yes, I know you have heard these cliches over and over again, sometimes like a broken record even. I wouldn’t say the idea behind these philosophies works all the time but yes more often than not it certainly does.

If you ask me if I have ever lied, I’ll have to nod in the affirmative. Of-course, I have and I think, in fact I know, everyone has at one point or the other. Those lies that don’t harm anyone, those are the ones I’m talking about here. Now, I’m certainly no angel neither do I want to be one, so yes there have been times when to avoid certain unpleasant situations I have resorted to taking the less popular way out. But irrespective of my escapades into the world of lies, I must concede that speaking the truth certainly has its benefits, or more appropriately lack of complications in the long run.

I think a 10 year old me, naive and innocent, would have been far more infatuated by the notion of truth than maybe a 16 year old me. And it more or less, took off from there. I guess growing up does that to you. Everything doesn’t end up being either black or white, or as maybe, a simple case of truth or lie. Having said that, I vividly remember the times when I stood and spoke the truth or responded in a truthful manner irrespective of the consequences. And honestly those are also the times when I’ve loved being me the most. Makes sense?

I had a friend in school, let’s call her P. Whenever I missed school, I would end up at her doorstep to learn about the missed classes. Homework and the likes. And almost always she would end up keeping things from me, sometimes even important notes or chapters for exams. Eventually of-course, I stopped asking her. But I remember this clearly that whenever she would come to me for the same, I would never lie to her. Truth be told, I never liked her once I found out about the cheap tactics she employed to try and score more than me. But something inside me never let me give her the wrong information. I chose the honorable and truthful path. And I’m proud of that.

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I miss that part of myself now, I really do. These days I find it extremely hard to be honest with people who have been nothing but mean to me, but that 13 year old me was such a special person. I think it was all about speaking the truth, never dwindling from the path. I always knew, even know now, that the simplest answer to any question is the truth. It was what the 13 year old me did at that point. She spoke the truth every time P asked her about the important chapters in the syllabus. That 13 year old me could have lied, could have withheld topics, notes etc.. but she didn’t because she knew only one way to live her life and that was by being sincere. That 13 year old me knew telling the truth was the right thing to do irrespective of her bitter feelings for P.

It’s not that I seldom speak the truth now that I’m all grown up. It’s just that sometimes I end up lying too which the 13 year old me would have never done. I think what I want to say is that just like any normal human being, I’m fallible too. That sometimes to steer clear of awkward situations, I have to, and I can, avoid the truth too. But I also know that, more than anything else, speaking the truth makes you feel good about yourself. And that, my friend, is an unforgettable feeling and a precious one at that. So maybe if not for anything else, you and I should try and speak the truth, if situation permits, for experiencing that very feeling as often as we can.