It is easy to lie and be a slave
Generally, one thinks one is always right, losing the objectivity of what is appropriate.
Of course, it is hard to be congruent with what you think, say, and do.
Also, there are no pure and absolute personal values. Since we inherit these from the culture: from where we were born.
Of course, as we open ourselves to the world, preconceptions are eventually formed with the amalgam of our own perspective: thoughts, experiences, and feelings.
Don't worry. I don't intend to give a master class on ethics and morals before sharing one of my experiences based on the question.
But let us be aware that some lost everything, even their lives to defend what they believed and loved.
Well! Fortunately, I have not gone through such an extreme, and I hope I do not have to live it for the rest of my life.
But of course, I did make difficult decisions that hurt me a lot by staying true to my principles: right or wrong.
Telling the truth is hard. But liberating.
One of these landed me in the brig when I was a cadet in military school, and another cost me a position in a major transnational corporation.
In both cases, I did not want to be untruthful. Well! At least, to my truth, as I assumed it.
Knowing how to lie seems to be a virtue in many parts of the world, and some guilds practice it with vehemence deceiving multitudes.
Who has never lied?
Forgive my ramblings. Let me relive my small and painful victories in pursuit of keeping the truth around me.
In the first event, I was in my early twenties, in the third year of my military career, and a brigadier at the academy.
When I returned from leave, during the review of my personal documents, the Major head of the services asked who had lost his documents.
So I raised my hand without hesitation, even though I had doubts about it. I was sure I had not lost it. But at the time of the inspection. I did not have it with me.
That same night and for the next five nights, I slept in the brig.
I could have kept quiet and searched the bedroom cabinet again, but I would have technically lied by keeping quiet.
Three days later, my wallet mysteriously appeared in the closet. It was evident that I was the object of revenge by someone dissatisfied with some action of mine. I never knew who it was. Maybe, I deserved it!
The second event occurred recently, four years ago. On that occasion, I held a managerial position in a major logistics company, probably, one of the largest on the planet.
I just had to keep quiet and support a local decision and action that I considered immoral. I cannot reveal too many details as it would violate an express confidentiality clause.
Of course, I learned that these companies don't fire you outright. They only offer you a compensation package to leave the company without much fuss.
At first, I was very offended. It hurt not only my pocketbook but also my sense of fairness. The business has no morals. They are only driven by self-interest.
Today, I think about the good of being true to your principles. For example, the event at the transnational was one of the best of my life. If it had not been, you would not be reading this.
Tell the truth and try not to regret your actions.
The photos were taken by me
