Benjamin Franklin is often given credit for the saying, “Honesty is the best policy,” but the saying is actually older than Ben. The original language was, “Our grosse conceipts, who think honestie the best policie,” and the originator of that phrase was an English politician named Sir Edwin Sandys. I suspect, however, that the actual origins are even older than that, as the desire and need for honesty in relationships are as old as humanity. It has long been believed that the Devil (Satan) is the Father of lies, and it’s easy to see why that’s so. No one likes to be deceived, and the saying helps explain why many of us are so reluctant to trust politicians.
In our more recent history, Robert Ringer wrote a book, Winning through Intimidation, in which identifies three kinds of people: (1) Those who tell you upfront, I will steal your marbles; (2) Those you tell you to trust them, steal your marbles and then say, “You shouldn’t have trusted me; and (3)Those who tell you to trust them, steal your marbles and say, “Yeah, I’m sorry, but my mom was sick….” Ringer’s subject was business and business relationships, but the three types are perhaps best exemplified by politicians, who come in the same three types. My view of politics has also been influenced by Lord Acton‘s belief that “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
In the States, power accrues to the wealthy and to politicians. The two categories overlap, of course. In a democracy, the wealthy do what they can to “buy” politicians to help ensure that the laws favor their political and financial interests, and the politicians do what they can to pass laws that will favor those interests. In general, it’s a system that promotes corruption. The only thing good about the system is that it is better than the alternatives. Kings and royalty were corrupt (and still tend to be where they still exist), and communism offers proof that if the “playing field” is leveled by revolution and warfare, the same kinds of social divisions and inequities eventually result.
The common saying about elections in the States is that we have the opportunity to vote for the lesser of two evils. A long time ago, a musical group called “The Fugs,” put the idea in a song entitled, “Wide, Wide River.” The song was released in 1968, and the war in Vietnam was a principal topic of conversation. In the States, our stated purpose was that we wanted to “save” Vietnam from going Communist. It is more likely, however, that we were there because we thought we could find oil in Vietnam, and we wanted to help wealthy Vietnamese develop the region’s natural resources. Things didn’t turn out the way we had planned. Another common saying is, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” It is difficult—perhaps impossible—to keep dishonesties secret for long.
And that’s one of the things about life. Robert Burns got it right when he said that The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft a-gley. Revolutions always start with the best of intentions. Poor people get angry about being downtrodden; so they kill off the rich and reorganize their society. Those who end up with power, get rich. The poor become increasingly angry about being downtrodden, and the cycle begins again. My sense is that the root cause of that cycle is dishonesty. People cheat to get ahead and then figure out that they can fool all the people at least some of the time. The problem with fooling people, however, is that no one likes to be fooled, and dishonesty eventually catches up. It may take a generation or two for people to decide that they have been cheated, but they eventually figure that out. And then there’s hell to pay for those who did the cheating.
Humanity seems to make progress by taking two steps forward, followed by one step back. We move forward, only to discover problems. We then need to re-evaluate before moving forward again. People started out heating their houses with wood. Then they used coal. Then it was petroleum-based products, which were followed by natural gas, hydro-electric and atomic energy. We’re now investigating solar and wind power. The changes in technology all occurred because people were honest about the advantages and disadvantages of power sources. Not all people were honest, however. Those with vested interests did what they could to protect those interests regardless of the long-term consequences.
My sense is that honesty really is the best policy. Dishonesty will eventually catch up with those who cheat and/or promote or support cheating. In the States, we need to pay special attention to the ways in which politicians promise more than they can deliver and the ways in which they fail to keep promises. At this point in our history, we simply can’t afford politicians who lie, cheat, and steal.
