Road to Trust: Honesty

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 I came across this quote a couple of days back, 'Trust cannot come unless one is honest'. In all its simplicity lies a profound truth. There is nothing that degrades the soul more than untruth, because the foundation of our existence is based on Universal Truth. With every lie, every pretence, every fakeness we are distancing ourselves from this one singular Truth. The point is, if we are seekers of Truth, how can we be untrue?

Entire lives may be spent in in propagating and upholding an image of a self that is based on falsity. It is like wearing a mask, which appears so real that it becomes permanent, impossible to tear off. In this context,Trust comes at a premium, because one is dealing with a version of a person, a mask, that is steeped in untruth. 

Reminds me of the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. He is being deceived into believing that he is wearing magnificent new clothes, whereas he is stark naked. He parades the town thinking he is dressed in all finery, and the crowds too, for fear of being punished join in by falsely admiring them. All this falsity is discovered when a boy pointing to the Emperor, laughs at him telling him that he is naked.

Because of societal pressures, cultural orientations, peer pressure of political correctness, or mere disdain, one forgoes truth for the sake of groupthink. We are silenced into accepting the 'false truths' whereas the Truth is transparent. In a way, the imagined clothes are the pretenses and prejudices which we parade around proudly. It takes a the innocence of a small boy to drop them and reveal the Truth in its stark nakedness... in its essence.

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