In the absence of any positive commandment against bearing false witness, lying was not condemned as a sin, but simply denounced as a weakness, and as such, highly dishonorable. (Bushido: The Soul of Japan) Honesty is the virtue most often associated with honor. Even non-warriors, those who don’t really understand the foundation of honor, sense that a dishonest person is a dishonorable one, though they may not be able to explain why. Truthfulness is rooted in the foundations of honor, most notably, obligation. We are obliged to be truthful. Others place their trust in our words, and that trust obligates us to be truthful with them. Furthermore, when others act on our word, the information we offered must be correct. Otherwise, calamity may befall those who have put their trust in us, and that would be an injustice. Truthfulness is a crucially important virtue for warriors. When lives depend on the accuracy of strategic and tactical information, leaders cannot tolerate even the slightest suspicion that the warrior reporting a situation may be lying to cover his own mistakes or to protect their own interests. But the strongest element binding truthfulness to honor is courage. The Samurai were quick to realize that honesty requires above all, courage. Bravery was a central theme guiding these warriors, and they intuitively that lying was not so much an act of immorality as it was one of cowardice. When people lie it is usually out of fear- fear of the consequences of others knowing the truth. Lies big and small, are acts of cowardice and are dishonorable. Therefore, truthfulness is clearly an issue of honor. Living The Martial Way

Try a Free Class Contact Masters Bill & Candy Lenix for additional information.
School (770) 507-8878 Cell (770-833-0170)
Email: umatkdlenix@comcast.net