I would also add that honesty is a way of life. I’m not talking about giving money back when someone gives us the wrong change or returning a wallet we found on a sidewalk -although these are honorable actions - I’m talking about the honesty of exposing our humanity; showing and sharing our mistakes and fears as well as our good qualities.
Being honest has become really hard because the world we live in does not want truth. Our reality is full of illusions. The representations of peoples’ lives we most see in the media are of beauty and richness. Even the ugly affairs are portrayed with a certain pizzazz, so no wonder we the more common folks feel the pressure to also pretend.
We all live in fear that if others knew the truth about us that we would be looked down on. So we hide that we have been dumped, or don’t have enough money, made a mistake, had a bad thought, or even had plastic surgery to look younger or better. We even lie about our ages.
All of this pretend causes us a lot of anxiety because by hiding the truth from others we acknowledge to ourselves that there is something wrong with us. The result being that we end up with no one to truly share our lives with and we become very lonely people.
I was once loved and fully accepted as I am. That was the biggest gift ever given to me. This acceptance gave me the self assurance to go out into the world as I am as well as a whole other way to live my life. That’s what love and honesty can do; give us the self assurance to be who we are. That’s a huge concept and one worth pursuing.
If we stop having to waste time making up excuses or hiding that which we think is not attractive and we start sharing our shortcomings, we create space for ourselves and others to have truthful and trusting relationships.
Honesty brings compassion and so we start seeing each other and ourselves for who we really are; imperfect beings searching for happiness.
I know for myself that the more honesty I bring into my life the more freedom follows. And isn’t that what we all want, freedom?
It takes strength to be vulnerable but at least to me that is the only path to be taken.
We, as a society, have experimented with all types of excesses and somehow that hole within each one of us stays empty. I think the only way to fill the hole is by relating in honesty and embracing our humanity.
All of us, the rich, the poor, the powerful, the young, the old and the weak want the same thing: to be loved and to belong. And on the day we get to say goodbye to this life, I believe all the differences and pretending we played out in our lives will be seen for what they really are, distractions.