What does it mean to be honest? Does it mean not to tell the truth? To deliberately omit the truth? No. Honesty is when we are presenting our authentic self to the world and those with whom we interact. When you encounter an honest person, you feel it. You feel as it you are looking through that individual without any masks, no cobwebs of deception, the mirror is as clear as day. People who are honest are generally happier people; those who embrace them know who they are embracing. And people know where they stand with such a person.
Honesty is integral to everything we do. We cannot be speaking the truth on the one hand and stealing from the office on the other hand. That will be a contradiction. The honesty must come from an organic place where there is no room for deception of the tiniest proportion. In other words truth must be in body, mind and soul.
Why do people tell a lie? What motivates us to be dishonest? It could be our need for approval – we feel if we speak the truth we may not be liked or we may lose popularity, it could be greed – wanting to get something for nothing or to boost our own fragile egos. We lie because we experience some lack in our lives. We do not feel we have enough, we want more to make us feel good about ourselves. It is low self-esteem, it is a disconnect from our Source of Being, our Creator, God, whatever you name that Source. It’s only when we are disconnected do we feel the lack and the need to gather more things to make us feel better. I've heard a born again Christian woman chastise her sister who was living in sin (living with a married man); she presented herself as this epitome of righteousness on the one hand yet she was commiting a crime by working illegally in a country. Is that truth? Is that honesty? or is that hyprocrisy? True honesty means no room for double speak, not room for excuses.
Next time you are tempted to be untruthful, ask yourself the question, what am I lacking? What do I need to experience wholeness or abundance? Chances are it’s nothing to do with the pencil or paper you are stealing from your office or from building your egos with lies. It is more to do with how you feel about yourself.
Speak the truth, live the truth and you will find the fulfillment, the contentment , the happiness and an increased appreciation of your self.
