Honesty in relationships

OASIS

Like the new normal where we all wear masks, follow social distancing and get vaccinations, there is another new normal emerging in value systems governing our relationships and interactions. It is this: Honesty is not an absolute must. From white lies to going back on one’s word and cheating on people it is all considered par for the course.

Back in those times, they would say you could utter a thousand lies if it was for the sake of marriage but now from the “I couldn’t log into the meeting, the internet was iffy” to “I’m on the way" to “We are just friends, it is purely platonic", pulling the wool over one’s eyes has become so commonplace. As a result of this, there is a huge trust deficit.

Whatever happened to truth? The only consolation is that one hope — Satyameva Jayate — that truth will triumph, but often too late for it to be of consequence.

This is why corporates have now started to focus on ethics.

When liberalisation first happened, it was felt that multinational companies couldn’t trust their Indian counterparts or collaborators because of a lack of transparency. Soon we realised that the argument cuts both ways and that even the international giants could betray trust.

At the personal level all around us, we see marriages breaking up for a lack of honesty and betrayal. Are there more opportunities to two-time a partner? Did long hours at work, travel, technology and pandemic induce shorter fuses and distractions?

Truth, honesty, fair play, honouring promises and keeping your word are all ennobling ideals worth aspiring for and need to be put back at centre-stage in our lives, what with subjects like Moral Science in schools has become a distant memory. It is what pays in the long run and the final analysis. Discipline is not just for children, subordinates and the lesser privileged who cannot bend systems.

The ground rules have to be spelt out and a framework defined in everything we do. We cannot become a law unto ourselves thinking anything goes. For the younger generation, it will make our world a better place and produce people with a strong moral compass. Otherwise sooner or later everything will flounder — our families, communities, societies, nation and the world at large.