We explain what honesty is, its relationship with honesty, the origin of the term and how an honest person behaves.
What is honesty?
Honesty is the vocation for good behavior, that is, for rectitude, integrity and especially the honesty. In fact, they are usually associated, almost at the level of synonyms, the adjectives honest and honest.
Broadly speaking, a person Honest is a person who is upright in his actions, decent, reasonable, sincere. Someone who acts in good faith, who does not cause harm to others for his own benefit, who is not prone to lies and who maintains form in his dealings with others.
In fact, this word comes from honor, synonymous with "honor", and in turn from Latin I will honor (turned into honor over time). It is what we mean when we affirm that something honors us, that is, makes us feel respected, treated appropriately, or when we say that we have honored a deceased ancestor, that is, that we have honored him.
As will be seen, the idea of honesty is very close to that of preserving honor, that is, of treating others with the majesty they deserve, and not as if they were inferior people. So someone honest is someone who knows how to treat others, that is, who knows how to preserve honor: that of others and his own. Seen this way, it is a concept close to that of good repute, so frequent in cultures Asian
In the West, on the other hand, honesty often depends on the honesty of a person, that is, on his vocation with the truth. We also call this rectitude, since it assumes that in life we choose the straight and direct path, evident, towards things, and not the winding, winding path that is hidden.
Honesty is considered a virtue, and therefore publicly praised, especially among people who hold public office or who carry out important tasks. An honest person is expected to act clearly, transparently, without deceit and without ulterior motives; quite the opposite of a dishonored person, that is, without taking care of honor.