Various Shades of Grey

Various Shades of Grey

Honesty. A small word. Barely seven letters. Its potency for explosion - infinite. Today we are at the crux of change as Europe had been during the Renaissance. Our world today is torn apart by the greed of others. It is submerged in the excesses of the rich and the powerful. As per surveys conducted by the United Nations the top ten percent of the world's population control two thirds of the earths natural resources. Today we are racked by war, hatred, racism, genocide and terrorism. It is at this hour we need the basic tenets of morality to guide us at the epoch of civilization, an era which compromises the best of times and the worst of times.

In troubled times we turn to others for help. In these days there exists no more kindred souls so we are left to turn to ourselves for help. When we turn to ourselves, let us at least be true to our conscience, so that we may escape from the sin of deceit.

Today's society demands that we compromise on our basic morality for survival. In this world deceit has taken over our lives. We lie to ourselves, our friends, to our enemies, to our employers and to our near and dear ones. We are forced to and rarely do we have a choice. Even if we had a choice, there rarely exists a person of sufficient moral fiber to exercise his or her choice.

Even if we are compelled to deceit for the sake of others, let us not lie blatantly and remorsefully but take heed that what we are doing is wrong. Today many circumstances demand that we resort to deceit, so that we may eke out a decent living, live with dignity and protect those around us. The evils of globalization, terrorism, bigotry and unnecessary competition for basic necessities have ensured that. It is no more an option but a necessity for the common man to turn to deceit.

Let us take a look at some fairly recent examples close to our home and in the international scenario. During the riots in Gujarat several people were killed, burnt, raped and tortured. All for the sake of religious bigotry. Now if a person wishes to escape unharmed with his or her dignity intact, and in the course of escape if should he have to lie about his religious interests to do so, cannot be condemned for every one has been given the right to live with dignity.

The president of the United States George W. Bush lied about the presence