Honesty should be key, even when it isn’t easy

Lying or stretching the truth can hold a person back.

One of the most valued traits is honesty. But how honest should a person be?

We expect politicians and leaders of our communities and country to be honest people. But we also expect it from those who we learn from and those who we love.

But if you know that someone has lied to a person close to you, is it your responsibility to tell the truth for that person? Or should you just let it go and hope that karma takes place?

If the truth inflicts pain on a person but said person can learn and grow from it, it's imperative that they know.

It can prevent them from making similar mistakes or from taking steps backwards.

No one should have to make the same mistakes twice.

The definition of honesty is being sincere and free of untruthfulness. But people can still be sincere and truthful with someone while being simple and unpretentious.

Most religions also value honesty. The Bible talks about practicing what you preach. The Quran calls for believers to use the ‘right' word, or words that one is sure are true.

Social cohesion is also harmed when you can't generally trust people to be honest. If enough people have lied to you, it affects your relationships with those around you.

If you've never encountered a full out honest person, people could seem a little cloudy.

It's also important to be honest with yourself. If you know you're going to hurt someone by lying to him or her, you probably shouldn't do it.

If someone breaks the law or intentionally lies to someone, it is just going to make the situation more complicated until the truth comes out.

Once a person gets good at lying, they gain a reputation, forget what's the truth and have to balance an increasingly complex web of lies.

However, this often doesn't last too long. Eventually the person will slip up and will be caught in a lie.

This doesn't look good on the person telling the lie nor does it feel good to the person being lied to.

While sometimes little white lies may seem miniscule and harmless, they could grow into something much bigger that could harm or ruin relationships and could destroy trust between people.

With that said, if you know you can get away with a lie unscathed, it doesn't mean you should do it simply because you can.

A web of lies could leave you with nothing at all.

Honesty isn't easy. It takes a kind of courage to tell the truth, especially when you stand to lose something from it.

Even though sometimes it may be hard to do, honesty is essential to building friendships and relationships and being a better person in general.