People used to seal a deal with a handshake. They'd agree to certain terms and would signify that they were honest and trustworthy by shaking hands. I'm not sure how it started, but it used to mean something real. A person's word was his bond, and the trust that was implicit both in the symbolic handshake as well as the other person's word went both ways. In some ways, we're not terribly far removed from that, as all contractual agreements are made between two parties who have some level of confidence in the other's ability to meet the obligations outlined in the agreement.
But we are increasingly seeing where people are not able to be trusted. People will make promises, claims, or assertions that are already known to be false. Rather than apologize for misunderstanding, people will argue that the information is flawed in some way that has caused that misunderstanding. So, not only are people lying, when it's proven that they've lied, they become defensive and even more untrustworthy.
This is especially problematic in politicians. I'm not going to single anyone out, because the problem is fairly ubiquitous. But what was once a sign of bad character has become something we just kind of have come to accept as normal. I'm not one to say we should hold people to arbitrary standards of conduct - a person's morals and ethics are their own, and how they behave in their personal lives does not necessarily reflect on their ability to perform a certain task. However, when certain character flaws demonstrate a lack of judgement, and when those flaws indicate a pattern of deception, that's when I start to take notice.
I don't understand why people lie. Because it's not in my character to deceive others, I don't understand why others feel compelled to do so. Here's the thing - every lie eventually comes out. People are very adept at uncovering the truth. So every lie is self-destructive, and it destroys the ability of others to have confidence in that person who perpetuates the lie.
People - especially politicians - owe it to their constituents (people who trust the politician to represent them) to be people of honesty and integrity. The first and highest obligation is to the truth. Being trustworthy is more than just a good policy - it's the only way anything gets done. And if you make certain promises and assertions, you should follow through with those. Otherwise, you just come off as being ineffectual, insincere, and untrustworthy.
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