Is Honesty Always the Best Policy? | 5 Minute Video
Telling the truth is usually right. But can it also sometimes be wrong? If so, when? And why? Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, a bestselling author and renowned scholar, explains when honesty isn’t the best policy.
🚨 PragerU is experiencing severe censorship on Big Tech platforms. Go to https://www.prageru.com/ to watch our videos free from censorship!
SUBSCRIBE 👉 https://www.prageru.com/join/
📲 Take PragerU videos with you everywhere you go. Download our free mobile app!
Download for Apple iOS ➡ https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/prage…
Download for Android ➡ https://play.google.com/store/apps/de…
📳 Join PragerU’s text list! https://optin.mobiniti.com/prageru
SHOP! 🛒 Love PragerU? Visit our store today! https://shop.prageru.com/
FOLLOW us!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prageru
Twitter: https://twitter.com/prageru
Instagram: https://instagram.com/prageru/
PragerU is on Snapchat!
JOIN PragerFORCE!
For Students: http://l.prageru.com/29SgPaX
JOIN our Educators Network! http://l.prageru.com/2c8vsff
Script:
Pretty much everybody regards the Golden Rule — “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you” — as the best guide to moral behavior. But did you ever consider this rule in terms of speech, in how you talk about others?
We all acknowledge that it’s wrong to spread untruths about people, but many of us seem to feel that it’s okay to say anything about another as long as it’s true. But the fact that something is true doesn’t mean that it is necessarily anybody else’s concern. Do you want every aspect of your life made known to others — even if true?
How important is it to guard our tongues?
A lifetime of experience suggests to me that unfair speech is a major, not a minor, issue. I often ask listeners at workshops I conduct on the ethics of speech: ‘How many of you can think of at least one embarrassing personal incident, that were it to become widely known, would negatively impact your life?”
Almost all the hands go up, except for those who have led very boring lives, have poor memories, or are lying. What is perverse about human nature is that while we don’t want others to know about such events in our lives, almost all of us are just aching to learn and speak about such events in the lives of others.
Let’s analyze this further. Why exactly don’t we want people to know about a highly embarrassing episode? After all, for most of us, the deep secret that we’re concealing doesn’t involve a criminal act. But we all know that if people learn about this one thing, it can easily become their primary association with us and with our name.
Why is this so?
Because, what is most interesting about people is what’s not so nice about them. This is pretty much true of just about everyone. As Isaac Bashevis Singer, the Nobel Prize winning writer, used to say, “Even good people don’t like to read novels about good people.”
If you’re thinking that what I have said so far does not apply to you, that you rarely speak about others, when you do your comments are always fair, then let me pose a question and a challenge. Can you go for twenty-four hours without saying anything unkind about anyone?
Invariably, when I make this challenge people laugh nervously. I can read their minds: “One day without any negative comments about anybody? My boss? My co-workers?” They’re not sure they can do it.
For the complete script, visit https://www.prageru.com/videos/honesty-always-best-policy
source
Which software are you using to make this video?
Good video but not a very honest title.
I made a negative comment about you all. So…
I'm strongly inclined to speak more about ideas than I am people.
He seams to be saying honestly is not the best policy if it results in the hurt feelings of others. He undermined his own point with his statement about the people who don't raise their hands. It's his subjective opinion that they either lied, don't remember or lead "very boring lives".
Germany told me the truth. Why not you? Why leave out important geopolitical information like that? It explains your relationship with her. I consider that lying. I'm asking Emmanuel. Are you going to blame it on the Pope of which I push back…..again.
LOVE WAR.
I speak about my self just as harsh as I speak about others.
Honest men have nothing to hide
How many videos would it take to go into the truth and lies about telling the truth and lies? This is just one. We are told by “modern psychologists” that we must never tell any kind of lies whether black, white, or gray. Black lies to deceive and manipulate are obviously bad. White lies are actually to keep from hurting other’s feelings unnecessarily. They also tell us not to tell “lies of omission” or gray lies by keeping secrets. I believe this is wholly false. There are many things others have no business of knowing. If you don’t believe that then tell everyone how many times you masturbate every week. It’s like cheating on your spouse. When you feel guilty about it you don’t go tell them so you feel better and they feel worse. You confess to God and stop doing it. Telling your spouse is just passive aggressive behavior to sabotage your relationship and make them be the one that goes out to file for divorce. Being passive aggressive is just a way of being malicious while trying to keep up the appearance of innocence. Obviously, denying committing a crime is a black lie meant to deceive so as not to be punished for doing harm to others. It takes just a little moral good sense to recognize when lying is good or bad. Honesty is always the best policy so that you don’t have to keep your lies straight because you will always be found out. Just recognize that there’s a difference between a lie of omission and mind your own business.
Great advice!
10000000000 TRUTH WOULD KILL ALL OF US
The assumption that any statement must be "fair" in order to be moral in any way is both extremely morally arrogant against God's justice and very sinful since it assumes we have the right to claim what "fairness" even is or that we know exactly who deserves it and when.
The total truth can kill
Doesn't this channel look up to freedom of speech?
If it's true then yes I will say it if someone is doing something wrong then I will warn others about their behavior so that they don't go around that person to experience it for themselves, it's kind of like giving everyone a heads up on that person's character now if that person has changed then it's one thing but if they haven't then they are a danger to the public and I want to warn people of who they are.
All of us are sinners. We’re all a lot worse than we think we are. We look at ourselves as if we’re so noble but other people don’t look at us the same way. God certainly doesn’t see us as we see ourselves. God knows how horrible each and every single one of us is. Better to confess and ask for forgiveness from God and from others.
Thank you
Yes
Abram first circumcised his heart/mind, then speech, then action (his physical circumcision at age 99). For Jews the process is reversed (hopefully): at 8 days, actions circumcised, speech circumcised later and by 99 years hopefully one has by then circumcised their heart/mind (a recent HaYom Yom).
I recommend Chofetz Chaim : A Lesson a Day (on the laws of forbidden speech and aggadic support of vigilance in guarding one's speech).
Thank you, Mr. Telushkin. I've loved many of your books.