The Four-Way Test

The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach / Five Cites
Mustafa Assal, Second Place
Grade 3, Shell Beach Elementary
Teacher:  Ms. Simpson

Have you ever been accused of something you did not do or say? Do you know how it feels to be treated unfairly? I do.

I was blamed for saying a bad word that I did not say, but another boy did. In my case the person who accused me did not use the four-way test. He lied, he wasn’t being fair, he did not build better friendships, but the situation was beneficial.

First, the boy said a bad word and in order to save himself from trouble, he lied. Instead of apologizing, he did not want to tell the truth, and blamed it on me instead.

This was not fair to me. Everyone thought I really said a bad word in the beginning. My parents were furious with me until they could prove I did not do it. They had to contact many people to find out what really happened. I was scared of getting in big trouble, and I also felt victimized. I was not guilty of anything, and it would not be fair for me to get in trouble for something I did not do.

With what he did, he made enemies with me, and everyone else. He did not build good will or better friendship. If anything, he lost his friends’ trust and their loyalty. Everyone got upset over what happened. What he did created a bad atmosphere, not only with his friends, but also with parents who had to investigate who said it.

The problem was beneficial because we all learned that lying will not help us in life, and it will only make people lose trust in you. It was a lesson I’m sure no one will forget for a long time. Seeing the boy get in trouble, not only for lying, but for blaming it on someone else taught me how wrong it was to do such a thing. I know that I learned a valuable lesson about lying and blaming.

We should never lie for any reason. From this experience, I learned that lying will always get you into trouble, and even if you try to blame it on someone else, the truth will always prevail. I also learned that if you do something wrong, take responsibility for what you did, and do not go blaming it on anyone else. Even if no one finds out right away, someone will find out eventually, and then the disappointment will be worse for hiding the truth for so long. That is why you should always tell the truth and never lie.