"Honesty is the best policy" is the first proverb I remember leaning. In every holy book, people are asked to tell the truth and some believe we rid ourselves of curses when we do not lie. I too was into this belief until I read this story about a drunkard thrown out of his job.
After being drunk and jobless for about a month, Carlos stays hungry. A lawyer comes to know about his story and pities him. He gives the man a job of chopping woods for the kitchen. Having lost all strength he is unable to chop the wood pieces. On the first day, the cook, Malina throws towards him an axe but soon realises chopping woods is not within his capability. She chops the timber every day and swears at him while he keeps earning the thrift penny. Then a day comes when he is nowhere to be found. Years later the lawyer traces a similar face in a case on the state's minister's murder. The man with the familiar face walks up to him and shakes hands, introduces himself as Monsieur Carlos, the President's assistant. When the lawyer doesn't recognize him, he says "I am the drunkard who chopped woods for your kitchen six years ago". On asking how he became what he was, he said "the money you paid me is what you owed to your cook and not me because I never chopped the woods, she did and that is the reason I am what I am."
Here, Malina's lying turned a drunkard into a responsible man and yes it does contradict the moral stories we learnt and our young ones are learning. This made me believe telling the truth is good but lying for a good reason is better.
After being drunk and jobless for about a month, Carlos stays hungry. A lawyer comes to know about his story and pities him. He gives the man a job of chopping woods for the kitchen. Having lost all strength he is unable to chop the wood pieces. On the first day, the cook, Malina throws towards him an axe but soon realises chopping woods is not within his capability. She chops the timber every day and swears at him while he keeps earning the thrift penny. Then a day comes when he is nowhere to be found. Years later the lawyer traces a similar face in a case on the state's minister's murder. The man with the familiar face walks up to him and shakes hands, introduces himself as Monsieur Carlos, the President's assistant. When the lawyer doesn't recognize him, he says "I am the drunkard who chopped woods for your kitchen six years ago". On asking how he became what he was, he said "the money you paid me is what you owed to your cook and not me because I never chopped the woods, she did and that is the reason I am what I am."
Here, Malina's lying turned a drunkard into a responsible man and yes it does contradict the moral stories we learnt and our young ones are learning. This made me believe telling the truth is good but lying for a good reason is better.
