Honesty should overrule pride (#1088)

Eating crow, as a metaphor for admitting we made a mistake, is appropriate when weighed against lying. More harm to the human species comes through intentional deception than any other form of oral communication we make. I mention pride in this post because to admit we are wrong is antithetical to our own ego. We will go to great lengths to not admit we are wrong, yet, in the lacking of humility, we will yell to the world when we are right. It seems our egos have the upper hand too much of the time. I know that telling lies does enhance our immediate needs at the expense of our longer term needs, however the lies also affect others and change the way all of us perceive reality. The collateral damage is unseen and therefore moot to us. Yet to others the slippery slope of misconception and lie continue down the line of communication. For me, the greatest ally dishonesty has is our own egos. We place so much emphasis on our own success that lying becomes more a strategy instead of, at the time, an act of irreparable harm. We have replaced our own life survival with an artificial one based upon economics powered by greed, power and selfishness. We measure our success in life not by what we have learned about wisdom and virtue, but instead by the allure of power and wealth. Not a good trade-off when the actual living of life is more shameful than blessed. I am not against wealth and power when they are the outcome of wisdom and virtue, certainly everyone deserves just rewards, but not unjust ones that have found their way to us through prideful dishonesty. The very foundational understanding of what civilization actually is and it's purpose has gotten lost in the illusion of a secure society hell bent on breaking rules for it's own personal enhancement.