Blog 1 – This I Believe… by Aaron Tosh
Something I believe very strongly in, and therefore have decided to do this blog on, is honesty. I feel that honesty is the cornerstone of being a virtuous person in both professional and interpersonal settings. When I think about all of the good people throughout my life the biggest thread that links those people together is honesty. While i think that most people are honest in some situations I do not think everyone is always honest including myself. I think the mark of a good person is when they are able to put their pride aside and admit wrongdoing.
The idea of honesty ties in well with the story of Stephen Glass, whose dishonesty changed the rest of his life. By all accounts Stephen Glass was an extremely virtuous person, he was kind, generous and most importantly honest. However, this all changed in 1998 when it was revealed that a large portion of the stories glass wrote during his time at The New Republic were untrue. This discovery changed Glass’ life because it showed Glass’ colleagues and everyone who knew him that he was untrustworthy. This revelation showing Glass’ was not an honest person completely changed the way I viewed him.
On the other hand, my mother is my hero because she is the most honest person I’ve ever met. The reason for this is because no matter whether it is the greatest news you’ll ever receive or the worst she will always tell you the honest truth. I think this is so important because it shows that she is genuine and that I can go to her with whatever and she will be there. This is the number one thing that I find to be important when meeting a person.
I also think honesty goes along way in a professional setting. I believe that the truth should always be the cornerstone of journalism. I always find that the best journalism is not sources that choose a side, but the ones that choose the truth. I think people deserve to be told the honest truth when they put so much faith into news sources. I believe dishonesty is the biggest threat that we have in this world today. No matter your values and leanings you have to recognize that the truth should always be at the center of everything.
Because if we lose the truth then what do we have at the end of the day?