Sunday, January 2, 2011

Do not lie to yourself (#702)

Really, do not lie to yourself because there are too many people out there very willing to do that for you. lol. Being honest with myself is the first thing I need to do before I ever open my mouth to say a word. What that means is that I need to educate myself to certain things and listen to others before I interject anything even remotely resembling informative conversation. There is a pride factor in not making myself look foolish. I have to remember that having some pride in who I am and what I stand for is only attainable when I actually know what I am talking about. This gets me to not lying to myself. I am not a lot of things, so why would I pretend to be something I am not? Certainly there are many reasons why I would do this, economic, political even religious reasons come to mind. However, despite these powerful reasons, I do not wish to trap myself into a lie. When I was a child I learned a very valuable lesson, don't lie. I remember I had told so many lies that I forgot what I had said and it became aware to everyone else as well as me. I then took myself aside and promised that no matter what, I would tell the truth, and not make things up that helped me with whatever advantage I saw for myself. That little practical discussion I had with myself has served me well. Not only that I have instituted personal policies of doing my own research on subjects as well as learning both sides of any argument. My moment of clarity was born out of the ashes of deceit. Do not let yourself have to go through that type of mess I had at an early age (8). When I don't know enough about something I say that, when I do know a lot about something I wisely offer it in the spirit of being helpful. When I don't know anything about something I shut my mouth and listen to learn more. What I don't do to myself today is lie. It is unhealthy and incorrect, on the other side of the world from being honest and trustworthy.

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