Honesty

Scriptures place great importance on the quality of honesty. This world is full of dishonest people and most of them are doing well in life. Therefore, at times, we doubt the value of this quality. However, if we examine it more closely, that doubt arises from two fundamental errors. Firstly, we do not appreciate the broader meaning of honesty; secondly, we see only the surface consequences and miss the deeper impacts.

Honesty has a very deep meaning. First and foremost, the requirement is to know oneself. There are layers and layers of the unconscious mind. Unless we examine, observe, and get to know these layers. we don't know ourselves. Unless we know ourselves, how can we be honest? After all, honesty requires transparency. How can a black box be transparent? Secondly, even if we know the ins and outs of the black box and it becomes completely transparent, how can we disclose this to others? It is not possible to disclose these secrets even to our spouse or closest friends because we like to play with images. We create an image of ourselves that is quite spic and span and keep implanting it in the minds of others. If we tell the inner truth, this image will be destroyed. That image is so dear to us that we dare not be honest.

Thus, there are two primary barriers in the process. Firstly, knowing the black box and secondly, being able to disclose the inner truths to the person we are interacting with. We do not understand how we are caught in the loop. Since we keep telling ourselves lies for almost our whole lives, we slowly, unconsciously, and sometimes consciously, come to believe them. Psychologically, if a lie is repeated often, it starts to appear true. That's what happens with all of us. We start mistaking the image we have created of ourselves for who we are. That makes the process of inner examination all the more difficult. Thus, on the surface, such a person may appear to be doing well, but there is a lot of trouble inside. The inner soul is imprisoned, and if we talk to someone caught in the loop, there is a strong desire to be set free. That brings restlessness to the personality.

So, lack of awareness in daily life makes the black box darker and darker, which in turn makes it difficult to examine. This makes our mental image appear more and more real, increasing our fixation on it, which in turn makes us increasingly artificial and dishonest in our relationships. In the process, the soul, as a prisoner, keeps crying for freedom, and the restlessness keeps increasing. The first step to being set free from the prison is also examination and observation. The moment we observe the inner world with equanimity, the black box begins to become transparent. We clearly see the difference between the mental image and the self. The soul gains strength, and we start to become honest in our relationships. Pretentious drop. We behave as we really are. That brings a lot of strength to the relationships.