At first I thought it was just my intuition, and then I analysed the happenings around us and came to a grim conclusion that the virtue of honesty is one that has had a startlingly high rate in decline recently.If that is not so, how else can we explain the growing trend of untruthfulness that we find in all sections of every community around the world?Counterfeit drugs in hospitals are some of the headlines we wake up to. To administer treatment that you know will not really help a patient get better and then get paid for it tantamounts to grave dishonesty, a complete lack of integrity, to say the least.  Material gain has nonetheless become worth much more than nurturing a fellow man.There are cases where varying Government officials are involved in fraudulent scandals and an attempt to probe them results to these valid cases being complicated by forged documentation, fake evidence and hundreds of dubious claims. How about the instances where donors send relief to certain vulnerable groups to alleviate suffering? This relief is mired in corruption. This all happens due to a sheer loss of straightforwardness and greed.Is it the fast-moving economic atmosphere and the incessantly growing daily demands that forces people to twist the truth and lose that one virtue that is "the best policy”? The urge to be honest and do what is right is diminishing. People do things then give a reason to wade off their guilty conscience.  Undoubtedly, there has been a trashing out of society’s core values that has left this society in a mindless pursuit of more of everything. Many people long to be rich by doing all sorts of things to get money, regardless of who they hurt, even themselves. It is as if we are floundering and directionless, moving so fast we forget to deal with this cancerous tumor on this big body of society. Imagine what it would be like if almost everyone cleaned out their act and tried being as honest in whatever good deed they were up to! One act of dishonesty leads to another and before you know it, it is all one gigantic lie. I have no respect whatsoever for people whose greed pushes them to the most shameful acts like stealing from people who are already at the peak of poverty. The smell of honesty in the air is so thin; I have to strain my nose trying to get it. The world would be a much better place if people could only find some sincerity with themselves. If you are honest with yourself, you can’t expect to be with others. Honesty is the best policy – no matter how ugly we think the situation is.