Honesty and rationalisation

We think of honesty in terms of financial dealings. We also need to think of honesty in terms of speaking the truth.

If we make a mistake, we should admit it. We should not try to find some angle to explain it away. We should not "rationalise" our action, which is what smart but dishonest people are quite used to do.

If we do not know the answer, we can state the fact. We can seek advice. Or just give it a try.

In an artilce in the Straits Times today stating that Franklin Roosevelt was not sure about how to bring America out of the depression in the early 1930s. He took some bold steps, but admitted that he did not know if it would work. Barrack Obama is now taking the same approach to overcome the global financial crisis 80 years later. 

There are some people who have never made a mistake in their lives, because they are able to rationalise it, and explain it away.  

Tan Kin Lian