Honesty Vs Truth

Honesty is a valued moral character in many ethnic and cultures, in the same way that deception is frowned upon, or even condemned in several situations. However, everybody must have at least once found themselves in a circumstance where telling the truth is more damaging than lying. Jeff Hancock stated, “But [butler lies] are very special. They use ambiguity that comes from using technology. You don 't know where I am or what I 'm doing or who I 'm with. And they 're aimed at protecting the relationships. . . These are people that are saying, look, I don 't want to talk to you now, or I didn 't want to talk to you then, but I still care about you.” In this situation, lies would be preferred over truths, for those who care about others’ feelings …show more content…
I want to discuss the matter of whether it is our right to tell the lies to protect our friends, family and lovers. I found myself mulling over this confusion only a few weeks ago, just hours after telling a lie that deemed “helpful”. The story began in quite a cliché manner: it was a late night. My friend and I were walking to my apartment from the library, chatting incessantly on our way. From the corner of my eyes, I spotted a tall guy who was taking long strides from across the street and towards us. He smiled; lift up a hand to wave and friendly said “Hey!” For a moment, I thought this man was my friend’s acquaintance, as she stopped in her tracks and reply with a polite greeting. He continued, eagerly introducing himself with a smile, and it dawned on me that he was “hitting on” my friend. My companion, a contrast to this stranger, was at a loss of words. A deer caught in headlights. She shuffled backwards a little and let out a tiny mumble. She was astounded and uneasy, and for whatever reasons I would wholeheartedly understand. We are unfamiliar with the concept of “being hit on”. While he was still in the middle of the man’s determined conquest, I recollected myself and interrupted him with a quick “Sorry, she’s with me.” The man paused, looking wide-eyed. Advancing the moment, my friend and I then walked off without waiting for a response from him. After a minute or two, she turned to me and said …show more content…
At the moment, I was inclined to get her out of the uncomfortable and awkward situation. Hours later, when I am at home and left alone to my thoughts, I pondered on how the situation could have played out without that lie. There is a possibility we could just safely walk off without any remark. Maybe my friend was entirely capable of recovering from shock and politely declining. But I can also thought of other possibilities where it didn’t happen in our favor. I then categorized the lie as a “lie to