Several of the Codes are open to interpretation based on society and our cultural context. For the samurai, killing in response to an insult was considered justice. Today it is not. Courage depends on the situation. Sometimes courage is displayed by fighting to defend yourself and others, but more often, courage is displayed by avoiding a fight. Veracity – truthfulness – would seem to be one of the more straightforward of the Codes of Bushido, but the ease we have in understanding it does not carry over into the actual implementation of this Code.

What veracity means is easy, but what is does is much harder. How does veracity apply? How do we use it? It certainly applies to telling the truth to others – being honest when asked a question, saying things that are accurate and not intended to deceive. This may seem easy, but it is much harder to do this when faced by an angry co-worker or supervisor who could be put off with a half-truth. It is much easier to leave out information to a parent – obscuring the truth – than it is to deal openly and honestly with the ramifications of our actions. It’s much easier to be a little deceptive than it is to be open and possibly hurt someone’s feelings.

As a public servant I spend a great deal of time testifying at public meetings and before city councils. I have learned – and have been fortunate to have had a handful of outstanding mentors, inside Kokondo and in my professional life – who have taught me the value of the strictest possible adherence to the Code of Veracity. If for nothing else, “fessing up after messing up” will build trust, and is how we develop long-term credibility with others.

Veracity applies not only to our dealings with other people; it also applies quite importantly to our dealings with ourselves. Being honest with ourselves can be very difficult because we bring certain biases to our analyses of our lives (“I can never do gedan barai correctly”) and certain fears, such as fear of success or the fear of failure. 

Being honest with oneself has to be one of the most important parts of our development, not only as martial artists but as people. Imagine if you always told someone who did a weak gedan barai that his or her technique was excellent. He or she would continue to practice that technique in the same way, thinking it was right, reinforcing the poor technique. The same applies to the feedback we give ourselves. If we lie to ourselves – if we do not apply the Code of Veracity to our dealings with ourselves – then we will be giving ourselves false feedback, reinforcing bad habits and holding back our development as people.

So veracity means being honest with others, honest without being hurtful (we still have another six Codes to think about). Just as importantly, veracity means being honest with ourselves, telling ourselves, despite a fear a failure, that our mae geri could have been better. It also means being honest about what we do well, and evaluating our technique as our sensei does: in the context of our rank and the complexity of the technique. Veracity tells us that making mistakes is natural – it can even be productive – and that perfection of technique is a goal, not something that can be achieved except through repeated practice of good technique, with honest feedback from our sensei and from ourselves.