English IV AP,
17 September
Does society require constant honesty? Why is it (or why is it not) problematic to shift the truth in one’s, even if the lie is seemingly harmless to others? We all sense the deep feeling to protect ourselves from various aspects of life; our peers, stressful moments, and emotions. We protect ourselves with a shield from those occurrences so we don’t upset ourselves or another. We can selfishly use the shield or selflessly use it, but to live life behind a shield will never amount to success because a person will always be frail and rely on the shield to fight their battles. This shield is not a mechanism only desired by the one behind it, but also the one it’s used against. Why would the opponent want such an object to be used against them? They would want the shield because they also benefit from its protection. They too feel a sense of protection and comfort from the shield because it may be what they needed to help their inner self. The shield I speak of is not the typical broad piece of metal used to protect from missiles. The shield I speak of is our day to day basis of lying. To most people lying is a shield intend to not offend or disappoint our loved ones or some might even lie to intentionally hurt another. They believe that lying will be acceptable as long it is used to benefit themself, another person or both, but I’ve grown to think the opposite of that idea. Throughout time, I’ve understood we should never use this shield regardless of what aspect you use it, someone will get hurt. I do not shield myself from these aspects of life, I choose to fight them head-on. Yes, the shield helps make life stress-free and comfortable, but it’s not the noble way. From that realization, I’ve noticed society has lost its sense of morals and virtuous ways. The simple use of the shield’s defense is an immoral choice because reliance on it can cause damage on relationships. A relationship’s bonded trust, faith and hope could be broken because of this dishonest choice. We all must face battles in our life that could easily be dealt with shielding ourselves, but that one instance doesn’t benefit us in the long run. The battle may have been won, but the war will be lost because the key to success is fighting all battles with your sword and wit. Sadly, society has lost that sense of bluntness that is need to be a straightforward being. They’ve lost that sense because over time we’ve adjusted to the security of the shield. All beings deserves to be told the truth and nothing but the truth because no matter the context, lying hurts. Honesty is a mechanism that goes hand and hand with all relationships. If a person was to fib about an insignificant act, it could reenter their life as a massive dispute and worsen. That’s what society doesn’t realize and hasn’t realized;