Insufficiency of Honesty Week 8

“The Insufficiency of Honesty" Dialogue
a. Choose one of the examples Carter provides. Do you agree with Carter's reasoning?
Stephen L. Carter states that “one cannot have integrity without being honest but one can certainly be honest yet have little integrity.” He also states that “honesty can be used quite selfishly.” As he points out there are specific differences between honesty and integrity.
The statement in the first paragraph I used of Carter’s is linked to integrity and honesty and I do agree with his reasoning. Honesty is most laudable when we risk harm to ourselves he said, which is why I agree with his reasoning as well as he goes on to say that honesty becomes a good deal less if we instead risk harm to others when there is no gain to any other other than ourselves. I believe what he says about integrity also ties into the example I chose above and that is integrity may counsel keeping our secrets in order to spare the feelings of others as in the example of the wayward.
There are three constraints discussed in Carter’s insufficiency of Honesty essay that determined why I agree with his reasoning. One is integrity does require moral reflectiveness, second: integrity may cause conflict to be resolved and third: someone with integrity can be trusted. I also believe what ties all this together is the “American Core” that has six values necessary for good character that Carter spoke about and they are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, caring, fairness and citizenship.
My example is that in class many times students have plenty of opportunity to cheat during tests, quizzes or assignments. Integrity is not taking advantage of these opportunities and being honest with others especially yourself. I think if integrity didn’t exist many people in these situations would copy other people’s work and be dishonest. Think of how the world is today if Martin Luther King didn’t have the integrity to fight against segregation.
I also feel that it is important to recognize that integrity and honesty are quoted in the bible and the examples I have chosen are:
1) 1 Thessalonians 2:10 “You are witnesses, and God also, how holily, justly and honest, we behaved ourselves in front of all that believe.”
2) Proverbs 2:7 “He lad up solid wisdom for the righteous: he is a shield to them that walk with integrity.”
3) Titus 2:7 “Do away with all yourself, a pattern of good works: in teaching incorruptness, gravity, sincerity.”
I do believe that integrity is taking responsibility for one’s own actions, being in the military I was taught this first hand because straying from ones core values compromises both my own and another’s integrity. In the military we defined integrity as “Doing what is right legally, and morally.” This is so successful team building can be built.
A distant relative of mine I grew up with taught me honesty, not because he was honest but because he lied all the time. It seemed he took the easiest way out of any situation and I think he felt it was the best way out. This meant telling a lie that seemed believable and when we were young it seemed cool at the time to lie and then I started going to him with a problem or issue wanting to know what to do and of course he insisted I lie. Naturally, I would and soon found out that these occasions taught me that it was more painful to be caught in the lie than to actually tell the truth and be honest. I wondered why he never learned that lesson, and I had so painfully easily. He told so many lies after lie, but what bothered me the most about him being dishonest was that he used me in his lies.
I feel like living in the world these days is hard, people are not honest with each other which to me is a problem because it seems to always lead to someone getting hurt emotionally or physically. Actually in the end the truth eventually comes out and it causes more pain and a bigger problem, it seems much easier to me to have a clean conscious. “Honesty is the best policy.” So in researching this statement I also saw a series of comments regarding the definition of honesty, what I came up with is that human quality that values integrity and truth during communication with other people. Honesty is characterized by truth and sincerity and building a positive self-image, and creating a heart-warming social atmosphere.
Concluding that my agreeing with Carter’s statement leads me to end by saying that the faith of honesty may be decreasing today from mistrust, lack of communication, deceit and hate which all decline social values. Such as the common saying “Cheater’s never win and winners never cheat.” This goes with fair play, prosperity of self and others in an honest lifestyle. You must know your limitations in life and build on your strengths to face situations where honesty pays with integrity and good self-image.