Sometimes you get punished for telling the truth.

What truth is there in the saying “Honesty is the best policy” then?

In the 1950s, the Communist Party in China urged the people to come out with criticisms against it. It was in the best interests of the government and the country, they said. Everyone, especially the intellectuals came up with criticisms and suggestions as to what could be done to make things better for the country.

Mao Zedong got fed up with the insults and criticisms lashed at him that he promptly threw a whole bunch of people into jail, dismissed others from their jobs, and sent the rest to work in the countryside doing manual labour.

Still others were forced to attend meetings where they were complaints were thrown at them and they were forced to criticise themselves and confess stuff they never did and do other degrading things.

Is that what you want to tell the truth for? To suffer years of discrimination, humiliation and hard labour with your salary reduced 10 times?

What is the point of telling the truth when you get punished worse than is fit for it?

Why would anyone bother to tell the truth anymore if all they get for plucking up their courage to say something in the face of adversity only to be knocked back and made to suffer?