The Value of Honesty
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Sima Guang was a famous statesman of the Song Dynasty. He once said,“There is nothing remarkable about me. But in my entire life, I have never done anything too ashamed to admit!”
How did Sima Guang learn the value of honesty? It all began when he was still a young boy…“Guang, catch!”“Sister, I caught it!”In the garden, Sima Guang and his sister were playing a game of catch with a green walnut. They took turns tossing the walnut to each other, and were having a good time.
After a while, Sima Guang and his sister got tired and sat down to rest. Sima Guang asked,“Sister, I don’t know what the inside of a walnut looks like, do you?”His sister replied, “I don’t know either. Let’s peel off the skin to find out.”His sister tried her best to peel off the skin, but she could not get the skin off and hurt her hand instead.“Ouch!” cried his sister.“Guang, you hold the walnut. I’m going to ask mum to apply some medicine for me.”
After his sister left, Sima Guang tried to peel off the walnut skin. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not get the skin off. Just then, a maid happened to pass by. She saw Sima Guang trying to remove the walnut skin, so she brought some hot water, and soaked the walnut in it. After a while, the skin came off easily.
“Thank you! You are the best!”said Sima Guang excitedly.“You are welcome, young master. I shall be off to help out in the kitchen”said the maid before leaving.
When Sima Guang’s sister returned, she was surprised to see that the walnut’s skin had been peeled off. So, she asked Sima Guang, “Who helped you?”Sima Guang looked at the walnut, and back at his sister. Then, he started to boast,“Sister, I peeled the skin off by myself! Don’t you think I am awesome?”
Suddenly, Sima Guang’s father appeared out of nowhere and said angrily,“Is that true? I saw everything clearly just now. Someone helped you peel it. I see you already know how to lie!”Sima Guang felt sorry for lying. He told his sister the truth, and apologized to his father for lying. He never lied from that day onwards.
After growing up, Sima Guang became a high-ranking official. Whenever someone asked him how he attained such success, he would reply, “By being an honest man!”
