When Honesty Becomes a Strange Thing: 1947 vs 2026

CHITRAL: Imagine a small town in 1947. If a dishonest man walked through the bazaar, people would recognise him immediately. They would point fingers and whisper to one another, “There goes a dishonest man!” Dishonesty was considered shameful, and an honest person was generally respected.

Now fast-forward to 2026. Sadly, in many parts of our society, the situation seems to have turned upside down. If an honest man walks through the same bazaar, people may look at him with surprise. Some might even point him out and whisper, “There goes an honest man!”

What a dramatic change!

Today, dishonesty is often treated as a normal part of life. Corruption, cheating, lying, bribery and misuse of public money have become so common that people sometimes consider them clever ways of getting ahead. Those who refuse to take bribes or make dishonest deals are sometimes laughed at, discouraged or even regarded as foolish.

The tragedy is not simply that dishonest people exist. They have always existed in every society. The real tragedy is that we have gradually become tolerant of dishonesty and uncomfortable with honesty.

A society reaches a dangerous point when telling the truth makes someone unusual, returning money that does not belong to you becomes an act of surprise, and refusing an illegal favour is considered stupidity.

We often demand better governments, better institutions and better leaders. But perhaps the first change must take place within ourselves.

A nation cannot become honest if its people have stopped respecting honesty.

The day we begin admiring honest people and feeling ashamed of dishonest behaviour will be the day our society starts moving in the right direction. .. CN report, 13 Nov 2026