Today Is National Honesty Day, April Fool’s Day’s Unpopular Cousin

April starts with a day of pranks (lies), and it ends with a day of honesty. National Honesty Day may not be as popular as April Fool’s Day, but its intentions are far more noble.

National Honesty Day was started by M. Hirsh Goldberg in 1991. Goldberg spent several years researching his book, “The Book of Lies: History’s Greatest Fakes, Frauds, Schemes, and Scams.” and once it was finished he thought the world was in need of a day of honesty.

Goldberg chose the last day of April to celebrate telling the truth in order to counter-balance April Fool’s Day, which celebrates lying. The Delaware County News Network reports that the truth telling holiday is a time to tell stories of honesty (like Honest Abe cutting down the apple tree) and urge politicians to cut the bull and tell the truth. Goldberg even hands out Honest Abe Awards to individuals, companies, and groups who have been the most honest.

The Times Dispatch reports that a recent Gallup poll found that nurses were believed to be the most honest people. Salesman, lobbyists, and congress members tied for being the least honest.

But congress members aren’t the only people smudging the truth. Several studies (including one by Psychologist Gerald Jellison) claim that the average person tells up to 200 lies a day just to cope with reality.

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote:

“Lying is a necessity of life… (it is) apart of the terrifying and problematic character of existence.”

Do you celebrate National Honesty Day? Should you?