Truth Trumps Lie
Telling the truth and telling a lie can both be convenient at different circumstances. But in terms of potential consequences and moral values, telling the truth is oftentimes better. Presidential campaign of William McKinley in 1896 and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar substantiate the idea that telling the truth is better than lying.
The story of William McKinley's presidential campaign shows the importance of telling the truth. In the presidential campaign of 1896, in which McKinley ran against William Jennings Bryan, a scandal about McKinley spread, which stated that McKinley had illegitimate children with Mary Ellison, a factory worker in New York. Instead of fueling the public suspicions, McKinley held a press conference and admitted that the scandal was true. Instead of being suspended from his campaign, McKinley was praised for being honest, and helped him win the presidential election. Because McKinley told the truth instead of lying, he faced better consequences. His story proves that telling the truth is better than telling a lie.
A story in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar demonstrates that telling the truth is better than lying because lying has worse consequences. In the play, Brutus kept his hostile feelings towards Caesar a secret, and pretended to support him. Instead of being able to peacefully dethrone Caesar, Brutus assassinated him. Eventually, the public found out and threw Brutus out of the city. Because Brutus lied to Caesar about his true feelings, instead of telling the truth, he was banished from Rome and faced a horrible consequence. The story of Brutus proves that lying has worse consequences than telling the truth.
Telling the truth is, in a great majority of the time, better than lying. Truth can sometimes benefit the person and lessen the consequences also. But in many times, lying will lead to even worse consequences. As shown by the stories of William McKinley and Brutus, telling the truth is better than telling a lie.
