Honesty is the best policy

Honesty is a policy that prays in the long run. There is the story of Lord Alfred
Dreyfuss of France who was convicted for being a spy. He spent years in a jail far
away from his native land and his countrymen hated him. Then one day the real spy
got his story published and the truth came out. Lord Alfred was restored to his original
status with all honors and the nation was ashamed of the way it treated him. All
through the trial Lord Dreyfuss kept on saying that he was innocent.

Every religion tells us that we must be honest. No one likes dishonest people because
they cannot be trusted. The truth is always so simple. Dishonesty is like a web that
has no beginning and no end. Sometimes we are punished for being honest, but it is
nothing compared to the pain and suffering we cause due to dishonesty. Gandhiji laid
great emphasis on the need to be truthful in words and deeds. His life throughout was
a struggle to uphold the virtue of truth. A truthful man can speak and act with moral
conviction. He commands respect and reverence in society.

A Stitch In Time Saves Nine

On the surface, the proverb says that a thing that needs mending ought to
be mended before it assumes serious proportions.

Take for example a cloth that is a little torn. It can be easily mended with a
single stitch. But if it is neglected, it requires more stitches. Further neglect
may also make it useless.
By extension, the proverb means that timely action helps us in overcoming
problems. Prompt action at an early stage prevents serious trouble in future.
Take for instance, the breach in a dam in Gujarat. It was not repaired in the
early stages. This resulted in the bursting of the dam. A water sheet of
twenty feet high ran across the village and thousands of people died in
Marui, a beautiful city, in three minutes. It is case of delay and delays are
dangerous.
Same is the case of a student who falls into the habit of procrastination. He
must read his lessons regularly. He must not postpone them. If he neglects
to study in time he will have to strain before the examinations. He will have
to burn the midnight oil. It may spoil his health and in addition there is
every danger of forgetting whatever he has read. He becomes a victim of
tension and fear.
The popular story of the grandmother who shielded her grandson illustrates
this maxim. A boy stole a pencil from a classmate and showed it to his
grandmother. Instead of questioning him about it she kept quiet. The boys
thefts went unchecked until one day he was arrested. Of only the boy had
been corrected in time, he would not have become a thief. Timely action
would have prevented him from falling into wrong ways.
Neglecting to replace a nail in a horses shoe may lose a kingdom itself. As it
is said:
For

want

of

For

want

of

For
For

want
want

a
a

a
of

nail,

the

shoe

was

lost;

shoe,

the

horse

was

lost;

horse,
a

the

rider,

the

rider
battle

was
was

lost;
lost;

For want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.

Thus the saying advises us to take timely action for a small hole, if
neglected, will sink a big ship.

As You Sow So Shall you Reap.

This well-known proverb As you sow so shall you reap might have been derived on
seeing a farmer. A farmer sows the seeds expecting to reap a good harvest. If he
ploughs his field well, waters the crop, uses fertilizers and takes pains to see to every
aspect of its growth, naturally he would profit from a bountiful harvest. On the other
hand, if a farmer does not take care of the crop from the time he has sown the seeds,
the final product will not satisfy him. The inherent meaning is that the consequences
depend on the action. Our present makes our future. If you toil and strive and mould
your present well enough, you are bound to reap its fruits. Gandhiji had rightly said,
Power
comes
from
sincere
service.
Mother Teresa, on account of her care and compassion for the poor and destitute,
gained love and adulation from the masses. A child who is well matured and
motivated to study well will surely shine in his academic field and grow up into a good
Samaritan. All men desire the blessings of perfect bliss. We can either make or mar
our own destiny. Each of us can be an architect of our own future and fortune. If he
sows the seeds of sin and corruption, he will reap the harvest of ruin. Hence our duty
is clear, we must be virtuous to achieve happiness, for as we sow so shall we reap.