Truthfulness is the fact of being realistic or true to life.
Being one of the vital life skills, truthfulness holds the highest value in making our society fair.
Be it religious grounds, psychological world, and spiritual intelligence, truthfulness is considered one of the essential factors that empower us from within and guide us towards constructive growth.
Truthfulness, along with some other essential life skills such as love, compassion and empathy are necessary for creating the positive and productive vibes around you.
According to Warren Wiersbe, an American pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker and a prolific writer of Christian literature and theological works-
“Truth without love is brutality, and love without truth is hypocrisy.”
So, all in all, truthfulness is a crucial life skill, and you need to know the right ways of incorporating this in your life. In this post, we will understand that, so let us get started straight away-
Table of Contents
What is Truthfulness?
Truthfulness is about accepting, understanding and presenting any truth.
People find it difficult to remain honest in these times because this world is full of lies. We try to pretend to impress other people, but we should be proud of whoever we are. Being truthful makes you a better person as well as a better creature on earth.
Truthfulness is essential, and it’s better to speak the truth and follow the lie. Being dishonest will make you lose your honesty and people’s trust. The truthful person doesn’t have to worry about the truth being revealed. It is a pure and peaceful form to live your life.
Opinions can differ based on people’s ideology, perspective, concept, idea or any theory.
But the truth is about fact and what is evident. And a person who believes in truth will live a happy life instead of worrying. The best way to tackle anxiety is to present the truth or remain silent.
Characteristics of Truthfulness
We have recognized that there are six characteristics of being truthful- Absolute, universal, objective, exclusive, coherence and correspondence.
Here, we are going to explain some of them. To make you understand better, we will be sharing some valid points of being honest.
1. Absolute truth
Absolute truth is when something isn’t dependent on anything and is absolute and apparent.
We can understand it better when we try to compare it with ‘relative’. When we say anything is related to another, then we are making it interdependent.
Meanwhile, the absolute truth is about being very obvious; there is no dependence on anything.
2. Universal truth
When we say, “Death”, it is universally true. Life isn’t promised, but death is.
Everyone will have to die one day, and no one can escape from it.
So we can say that anything which is promised by God or has been proved. This can be termed as a universal truth, and no one can deny it.
3. Objective truth
Truth isn’t dependent on any person’s thoughts and perceptions.
Irrespective of their opinions, the truth is independent. Some people feel about believing the truth in their ways.
It can be about any opinion regarding a subject. It can be about anyone’s beliefs and personal experience.
Benefits of Truthfulness
Although there are various benefits and advantages of truthfulness, here we are discussing some.
Being truthful is one of the ways of living in peace. Anyone who says the truth doesn’t have to worry about remembering it. Truth is what makes you a better person and becomes a part of your future.
Although it’s hard in this world, to be honest, all the time, yet we can try.
Try to stay away from the lies, don’t conceal the truth, it backfires anyway.
Consistently telling the truth cannot be easy, but one has to stay away from telling lies. Any “white lies” or “big lies” can drag you into a big problem, so it’s better to remain silent sometimes.
The benefit of telling the truth can make you feel terrified, yet your heart will be at ease. Try to stick to the truth even if it hurts you.
Sometimes it’s better to get hurt instead of becoming a victim of sweetest lies. So here, we have mentioned some of the benefits of speaking the truth look into them and decide.
1) You will feel more confident
Being truthful with people around you will make you feel comfortable.
You don’t need to be a person who has to impress anyone, don’t try to be fake. Pretending something is a different thing; it is just another form of lying. People don’t have to like us for being someone else; they should accept us the way we are.
When you remain truthful with other people, they trust you even more.
And this trust builds confidence inside you. You can be proud of yourself for not trying anyone with your bitter, twisted lies. Confidence makes you feel better, and when you start getting comfortable with speaking truth, you will begin prospering it.
2) You won’t have a fear of remembering the lies
The worst part about lying is that you have to remember it all the time. Let’s assume that a person lies about his academic performance, s/he will have to remember two different marks.
The one s/he has scored and the false one which s/he has been telling others. One can also get confused, and in haste, they can show some other scores.
It always creates anxiety in a person if s/he continually lives on lies. You will always be in fear of getting caught. Therefore, it is better to let others know the truth instead of feeding them lies. Never try to be fake in front of people, live a less anxious life.
3) Trust creates opportunities
Trust and love is something we crave for, and that’s what we have for others.
Any person who has a habit of lying will find that people don’t trust them. And this hampers their work and the friend circle. People start distracting themselves from the person who lies all the time.
And when you are an honest person, people will be you for being truthful. They will believe in you, and you will feel honored and respected.
And when you’re respected people offer you more opportunities. If you are one of the honest employees in your workplace, then obviously, your boss will give you more opportunities.
4) You will earn more respect and trust
When you try to be honest, people get attracted to you for your honesty.
You start getting people’s love and respect, they start trusting you. You begin building deeper connections with your people. It can be your relative, friend or even acquaintance.
People always respect those individuals who stick to the side of truth. They are more easily relied upon and respected.
If you try to be honest with your co-workers, you will feel that they have started respecting and trusting you even more. Trust comes with effort and being on the right side, so stick to it.
5) Lying always requires energy
Every time you lie remember, and before that, you have to decide whether it is a lie or the truth.
If you choose to lie to some people and make some people aware of the truth, then it requires energy. You will get confused about these things; it will lead to a dilemma.
Mental and physical pressure always hits you when you are burdened with lies. And when you start telling lies, there is no going back. You begin to build a habit of staying on the wrong path. Therefore, we recommend you to either remain silent or speak up the truth instead of focusing on lies.
6) Truth attracts truth
In today’s society, it’s rare to be an honest person and be 100% truthful.
But you must remain on the side of reality. There are different types of truth; it can be factual or objective, be it any, stay with it. This will help you find good people.
People often are attracted to those who are honest and want to be friends with them. So this is one of the benefits of being correct. Truth always attracts truth. So those people who have ethical values and morality will still get your attention, and this will be beneficial for you.
Final Thoughts about Truthfulness!
Being truthful is not easy at all; it takes lots of effort and guts to be truthful.
It matters a lot because any individual cannot live on being morally weak and just pretending. If a person has a habit of telling lies, then s/he will remain anxious all his life.
He or she will live in terror if the truth is revealed.
So, be honest and live your life with full honesty, because as said by Amaka Imani Nkosazana-
“You push the TRUTH off a cliff, but it will always fly. You can submerge the TRUTH underwater, but it will not drown. You can place the TRUTH in the fire, but it will survive. You can bury the TRUTH beneath the ground, but it will arise. TRUTH always prevails!”
Did you know?
A 2023 study by the American Psychological Association found that individuals who practice truthfulness report a 25% increase in overall life satisfaction. This statistic highlights the significant positive impact that honesty has on personal well-being and mental health.
Quick Tip: To strengthen your truthfulness, start by setting small, achievable goals for honest communication each day. Whether it’s admitting a mistake at work or sharing your true feelings with a friend, consistent practice can help build a habit of honesty that enhances your relationships and self-esteem.
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