Analysis of a Survey

Analysis of a Survey

As children, most of us were probably taught the basic lessons of life. Our families tried to instill in us a sense of right and wrong, good versus bad. One of the first lessons we were taught was that of honesty. A related concept of honesty is truth. Truth is a concept we understand as children but eventually learn to manipulate as adults.

The dictionary states that honesty "implies a refusal to lie, steal or deceive in any way." However, formal definitions of both truth and honesty contain similar phrases, that is, adherence to or dealing with facts. The terms may or may not be interchangeable, but they are similar in that their foundations are rooted in fact. Telling the truth usually means dealing with the consequences. Sometimes this moment of reckoning is instantaneous. Lying has its consequences as well, but for the most part, these can be postponed to a later date and time. I presume this is one of the reasons why we lie in the first place. As adults, I believe that the vast majority of us have twisted or stretched the truth at one time another in order to serve ourselves better. Is this right or wrong? This line of thought triggered contemplation on one of life's mysteries--is honesty truly the best policy?

Many of my friends and colleagues were aware that I had been coping with a situation where people were lying to me. In my case, the consequences were devastating and these people knew I had been extremely hurt and angry. However, in related conversations regarding these circumstances, I was astounded to learn that not everyone shared my opinion that lying was wrong. I had a difficult time accepting this notion but these people insisted that there were times when it was better not to t...

... middle of paper ...

.... The difficulty here would be in making the questions as non-threatening as possible. If a respondent felt uncomfortable with the survey, the results could be skewed. I also feel that additional queries would provide the data necessary to make more thought provoking assumptions and analysis. Nevertheless, I found that conducting this survey was an educational experience and one I would not mind repeating.

I feel that truth and honesty are closely intertwined. I believe that if you are honest, whether it be with yourself or another person, the truth will come out. I discovered through this survey that things are sometimes not as obvious as they may seem. More importantly, I saw that honesty is something that often must be measured and weighed before being presented. Though I prefer honesty to lies, I can understand how it could throw equilibrium out of balance.