We are, unfortunately, faced with situations which hold the potential to divorce us from the veracity of our hearts and minds, thereby compromising our integrity, body mind and soul. And one
of the most pernicious forms of hypocrisy is politeness or manners. What many of us think of as being 'nice'.
Sadly much of our polite behaviour amounts to nothing more than a socially sanctioned form of
appearing to think and feel one way, while our actual thoughts and feelings may run
in quite another direction.
Sincerity is a
virtue precisely because it keeps us in close touch with our authentic feelings
and thoughts. And to the extent that what we say and what we do are direct reflections
of each other, the people around us will not suffer confusion and pain in their
relations with us.
They will know we can be relied upon to be who we say we are, that we are worthy of their trust and investment in us.
They will know we can be relied upon to be who we say we are, that we are worthy of their trust and investment in us.
When our
behaviour contradicts our speech, we begin to put that trustworthiness into question.
So, staying in touch
with the actual contents of our thoughts and feelings is very
important. For staying true roots us more deeply in a strong sense of personal integrity.
How can we
expect to live full, satisfying lives filled with all the deep pleasures it has
to offer, if our existence is a sham, if we are faking our way through life?
Happiness is not
possible if we are forever sacrificing our integrity in the name of politeness
or anything else.
Hypocrisy harms everyone. It is one of our great social ills.
Hypocrisy harms everyone. It is one of our great social ills.
Our lives cannot
forever be violated with impunity. We all, eventually, pay a heavy price for saying the opposite of what we feel, being disingenuous and engaging in hypocritical behaviour.
So, let’s learn
to live with more emotional generosity, warmth and genuineness.
Let’s throw off
the shackles of hypocrisy and live a little.
