Example Of A Truthful Person example essay topic

It is typical to think that the word honesty and the phrase being truthful seem to be the same. While the two are listed as synonyms and related closely in definition, there are however differences between the two. If you were to look up the meaning of truthfulness, you would see that it means "to be consistent in telling the truth and to be honest". In that same dictionary, the word honesty is defined as "the capacity or condition of being honest; integrity; trustworthiness". The only way to distinguish between the two would be to examine the connotations, since the definitions are nearly identical to one another.

The word truthfulness can be looked at as the more basic of the two, and it more or less implies to speak truthfully and predictably. An example of a truthful person would be a person who was asked a question and would tell the truth. That same person would face reality as it is and not spread lies. In looking at these definitions, even with their closeness, it is possible to be truthful and still not be trustworthy.

You certainly could not trust a person who tells everything they know about every little circumstance or when asked the smallest question. By that same token, it is possible for an individual to be truthful and not completely lawful about matters or completely in the "right". An example of this would be someone who was involved in an illegal circumstance, and when asked about it, could only tell the truth up to a certain point. Not to say that the person being questioned wasn't constantly telling the truth, but just not the whole truth.

Honesty, on the other hand, is the more complex of the two and covers a range of requirements that are much more broad. To possess honesty, one must be truthful, reliable, trustworthy, and open all at the same time. Honesty takes on the virtues of truthfulness and fills in the gaps. To be honest means you are willing to tell the truth even at the cost of a personal risk and that unconditionally you are open and truthful.

Usually a person will tell the truth out of respect for themselves and even for others. A person who is honest is honest naturally and doesn't have to be asked to tell the truth. Though these two qualities share a common denotative meaning, honesty by far is the much more admirable feature, simply because of its difficulty to attain and maintain. Let us not forget, however, that honesty still cannot exist without truthfulness. Many of us strive to obtain the quality of honesty, but we must realize that it derives from our respect for others, including their feelings. Overall honesty speaks for one's character and improves relationships with others..