A few years ago I was in Mexico with some friends scuba diving. We were on the Yucatan Peninsula and decided to take a couple of days away from the coast and explore the region. One of its truly fascinating places is Chichen Itza, a Mayan ruin of massive proportions and curious workmanship.

We got started late and so decided to stay in a town along the way, Valladolid. As we pulled into town there was what seemed to be a nice hotel, they all wanted to stay there. But my friend Rob and I thought there certainly must be more adventure in searching around a bit.

So we made a bet. Let’s see who can find the cheapest place to stay for the night.

Neither of us spoke Spanish so the contest seemed fair. We would meet back in the morning to see who won. I knew that I could trust his final figure.

Trust; that is what leads me to my painful concern today. Are we losing our integrity as a society? Are people inherently honest in our generation? Can you simply trust someone’s word anymore?

In the past month I’ve been deluged with dishonesty. Not just simple pretense but blatant deceit. And all from mature, professional, respected adults. People in whom you would be shocked to realize the depth and nature of their duplicity; from the very highest levels of State government to our local community.

I know that on April 1st we have some latitude to exaggerate or trick, but I didn’t realize this chicanery extended for the entire month, maybe even the whole year. Who gave society a pass on honesty? Isn’t it one of the Big Ten that Moses received from God himself? When did they wave that requirement?

How much respect do you have for someone if they can unabashedly lie to your face? How much respect do they have for themselves? One of these undeniable lies was made in front of a spouse and their children, who knew with certainty that what was being said by their spouse was not true. What do these sad relatives think? “How often have I been lied to? Can we ever trust them again?”

Is it worth it?

Shakespeare said, “Honesty is the best policy, if I lose mine honor, I lose myself.”

If we, as a society, can’t trust the word of those who we do business with, or live among, or sleep with, how will a reliable economy actually continue to function? “A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future.”

In Valladolid I searched long into the evening for a cheap room. I found one for $3.00 but it was in a storage room, sleeping on a pile of greasy gunny sacks. That seemed rather appalling. Finally, a young man, working as a motel clerk, was getting off duty and he spoke some English. I told him about my bet and so we walked around the city for another hour or so, looking for a deal. Eventually, at about midnight, he got discouraged. He said to me, “Why don’t you come to my home and stay there? It’s free, no one can beat that.” So we walked to his home. His parents woke his little sisters up and moved them to another room and let me sleep in one of their hammocks. If you’ve never slept in a hammock, congratulate yourself. It is painfully uncomfortable. Especially if it’s not strung tightly, which this one wasn’t. Look at the letter U. That’s the shape my body was in all night. You can’t sleep on your side; a body doesn’t bend that way. Try sleeping on your stomach in that configuration. So it was knees to nose for the duration.

When I got up in the morning the mother had a great breakfast awaiting and I left a tip that was much more than I would have paid for a hotel room, but their room was free.

I won the bet and there was simply no question; Rob knew that he could trust me and I knew that I could trust him. That’s the beauty of honesty, there is never any doubt, never a question, you can count on what is said. Isn’t that what’s important? By the way, my other friends, staying at the expensive hotel, were viciously violated by angry, gringo-hating bed bugs.

Don’t ever sell your integrity, especially for the simple price of a cheap hotel room in Valladolid. Or for any price. It’s precious beyond measure. No amount of money can compensate for its loss.

This column was written by state Rep. Randy Armstrong, R-Inkom.