Is Honesty A Lost Virtue?
Writers write from life. Fiction needs to be believable or else readers won’t be pulled into the story. Right now, there is more truth in fiction than can be found in the White House. Is honesty a lost virtue?
I’ve been working on my third novel but it’s been hard to focus with the constant static and fear of what’s happening to America.
Can We Still Be Friends?
The rules of behaviour have shifted dramatically in America. Up until Trump became president, 
Canada and the USA enjoyed a friendship for centuries. We’ve been good trade partners, enjoyed similar cultures, taken pride in our democracies, and shared similar values. With the way things are going, I’m not sure if we’ll continue to be friends. I hope we will, but as you know NAFTA is up for review and Trump likes tearing up what others before him have negotiated.
Then and Now
I grew up at a time when I looked up to politicians, in Canada and the USA. They were our leaders. We voted them in to represent us. I assumed they would follow the rules of law and decency. Over time, I discovered there were politicians who lied on occasion when it suited them or their party. I accepted this, but I also assumed, that if they were caught in any wrongdoing, they would be turfed out, or at least they would apologize and try to right the wrong they were guilty of. Call me naive.
We are now living in a very different time. Honesty seems to be a lost virtue. I am appalled by what I read, hear and see daily on TV. We have politicians who lie and deceive in every country, but what is new is the unprecedented number of lies coming out of the President of the United States, a democracy the rest of the world has admired.
Father, I Cannot Tell A Lie: I Cut The Tree engraving by John C. McRae 1867
It’s hard to fathom the direction America has taken. What happened to the America that repeated the George Washington and Cherry Tree myth? As a child, growing up in Winnipeg, Manitoba, I heard this story. It made a good impression.
One of George Washington’s first biographers, Mason Walke Weems, a minister and bookseller, wanted to show that the president was a man who got to the highest office because of his integrity. It was a value that the author wanted to underline and it worked. The cherry tree myth has endured, because it’s a story that represents how Americans want to see themselves. It’s become an important part of Americans’ cultural heritage.
Given Today’s Climate, It’s a Story Worth Retelling.
The story of George Washington and the cherry tree is worth retelling in a country that’s now burdened by a constant barrage of lies, misleading statements, and rude behaviour from the White House. Lies that are supported by the Republicans in the House and Senate. Together with the president, they have succeeded in eroding the wonderful reputation that American has held in the world.
How much longer will the people tolerate a lying president who has allegedly sexually harassed women, insulted allies and opponents, turned a blind eye to racism and bigotry, enlisted the aide of an adversary to win the 2016 election, and now seems be on a path to bring down law and order?
I can’t believe that those who voted for Trump are pleased to have a dishonest and self-serving president. I believe that those who voted for him wanted a man who would make sure they could provide for their families and get affordable health care. They also wanted to be safe. That’s how they interpreted his promise to make America great again. Though I did think America was great under Obama, Trump succeeded in tarnishing the previous president’s image with his falsehoods. With Trump at the helm, America’s greatness has been diminished with the USA ceding power to both Russia and China.
The Poor Get Poorer
The current president brags that jobs are on the upswing. They were on an upward climb during Obama’s time. Trump brags that the stock market is up. Great, right? Is it a surprise, when corporations get big tax breaks and regulations are stripped away, and big business can do whatever it wants, even if it means polluting the air and water of the land? Stocks have gone up but the country has gone down with debt accumulation and destruction of the environment.
And why should the have-nots cheer the rise in the stock market? Economists have proven trickle-down economics doesn’t work. It’s not the poor and working class or even the middle class who have money to play in the stock market. Trump, his family, his friends, his business associates and his enablers in government are all benefiting financially. The majority of the people who elected him are not. They may have gotten a small tax break, but it’s one that will faze out in a few years. Many of them even saw their health plans downgraded. That’s unfortunate, as American medical services aren’t cheap. This isn’t what people voted for. It’s all smoke and mirrors. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer in every way.
And safety? Does America feel safer with Trump? I know I don’t. Not with his previous adolescent provocation of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un or unwillingness to impose additional sanctions on Russia, even though a majority of the House and Senate voted for it. Putin is a bully who invaded Ukraine for political gain. He’s messed with American democracy and he will continue to do so unless he’s stopped.
What does all of this say about the virtue of honesty?
May as well take a shovel and bury it under the pile of lies that keeps getting higher day by day.
Comments are welcomed.
Oh, Diana, this is an excellent post coming from a Canadian, put it reflects my feeling also. I have no explanation as to why Trump got even nominated from a field of competent Republican candidates. And then why people voted for him. He is an embarrassment to the office and to the country. He is tearing the country apart as he tears down our democratic process and plays diplomatic games via Tweeter and brings shame to our country that used to be respected and respected its neighbors and Allies. We must rise up and vote!
Jo, I feel for you and the majority of Americans. Have to get the millennials out to vote this time round. Many were passionate about what Jill Stein and Bernie Sanders had to say, but in the end, with all the problems–Hillary’s emails James Comey making it bigger than it was, and the shenanigans at the Democratic convention–they lost hope and stayed away from the voting booth. I also recall, before the vote, being on twitter and seeing all those strange tweets that seemed obvious to me were Russian bots. They were slamming Hillary. And the fact that Zuckerman decided all those rubles were more important than reasonable and authentic messaging on Facebook also hurt the Democratic party.
Robert and I also don’t understand how the Congress and the Senate can stand by and do nothing to stop Trump. Those who speak out don’t follow their words with action. They were elected by the people and yet they bow down to big money. We hope and pray that your upcoming elections will be fair. It would be great to get rid of Citizens United while you’re at it. (Can you?) That was a bad move as it guaranteed big money could dictate who got in and who they owed for their office.
Diana, as I’m also a Canadian, I so agree with Jo’s comments above. Having just returned from a three-state road trip to Carmel, CA, we were delighted at how friendly and respectful everyone was. Although we didn’t open our mouths (in someone else’s country) and voice our views unless asked, I don’t believe we met a Trump supporter. Republicans? I’m sure. But moderate, kind and respectable people with good family values.
It is difficult not to get caught up and consumed by the state of the world which I believe is largely being fostered (“festered” would be more appropriate) by Trump. I count my blessings for living in Canada (yes, with our faults and sometimes weak politicans, too) and continue to pray that Americans will speak with their votes in the mid-terms.
Kudos to you for speaking out:>)
Thanks for your thoughts, Karen. And yes, love Americans and our shared values. There are some (on both sides of the border) whose extreme views are challenging to say the least. Hopefully, what is going on south of our border will be rectified in the near future. We can only hope.
Trump is an embarrassment to me as an American. The sooner he is gone, the better.
What frightens me are the reasons he got elected and the reasons he might (gasp!) get re-elected. In my view, he got in because Obama failed to do what he was elected to do. With the country in shock from the financial crisis, Obama had a clear field in 2009 and could have done the right things, or tried MUCH harder to do them. He could have prosecuted the bankers who sold fraudulent securities and brought on the crash. Instead justice was not done and the bankers actually paid themselves even BIGGER bonuses — with bailout money from taxpayers — as the economy “recovered.” Obama could have helped the distressed homeowners — between 9 and 14 million families lost their homes to foreclosure in 2007-13, depending on which figures you use. These people lost EVERYTHING, and even if they at least have some kind of job now, it’s understandable that they were embittered, willing to listen to Trump. They have no savings to invest in the market so a booming Dow Jones Average means nothing to them. Obama failed to push for universal health care, didn’t even try, and instead offered up a ridiculously complex health law that actually made healthcare more expensive and harder to get for middle class self employed people (like myself) who don’t fit into Corporate America.
It’s true, Hillary ran a poor campaign, was careless with emails, got a raw deal from the media — and then Comey drove a stake through her heart. But if Obama and the Democrats had fulfilled their traditional mission and taken care of the middle and working class, Trump would have been BURIED. He would have had no chance whatsoever. None of these “at the margin” items would have even registered as footnotes to history.
Fast forward to the Manafort trial; as I write the jury continues to deliberate. The evidence of Manafort’s guilt is overwhelming, but it only takes ONE fanatical Trump supporter to hang the jury. If that happens, Trump will have a field day, claim vindication, and probably fire Mueller. Which could be the end of democracy in America.
Steven, sorry for my late reply. I had some technical issues with my host server, but it’s now been resolved. Thank you for your thoughts. I am sorry as you are that Obama didn’t do more to stop the Republican takeover. I wish he would’ve blown the whistle when he saw evidence of Russian tampering of the 2016 election but I also understand his ethics and integrity and fear how that would’ve been used. In the end, his party lost because he didn’t divulge what he knew. While he was in office though, I recall him trying every step of the way to do what was right but was blocked time and again by the Republican House.
I’ve just heard that Manafort was found guilty on 8 counts out of 18. One by one, all the king’s men…are falling. Here’s hoping justice and truth will prevail and those guilty of twisting the minds of good Americans will be defeated.
Yes! And Cohen has taken a plea and by the sounds of things from is own lawyer, he has much more to share about Trump. Another king’s man down, many more to go! We can only hope.
Yes, Karen. This has been such an unbelievable story. So many characters to study. Like Dan Rather said yesterday, “Wow!”