Lately, my thoughts have been strongly focused on genuineness and sincerity. I see people around me, some whom I am very close to, who appear to lack truthfulness in their character, words, and actions.
But as I have continued to examine this, I realized that we all have a face to the World that is not without deception. Portraying an illusion is a way to “fit in” to society. We all know that if everyone could see us in a raw and unfiltered way, we would likely be shun completely.
I find the dishonesty in this practice to be more than a little disturbing. And then I have to ask myself if I am willing to remove the mask, and expose myself in a brutally honest way to everyone around me. And would this even be a wholesome way to conduct my life?
The conclusion that I am coming to, is that it is extremely important to be brutally honest with ourselves. And when we cultivate any delusions about ourselves, we become toxic. And this toxicity is highly virile. Infecting those around you with disingenuous words and actions. Much of which may support your own ego, but do far greater harm than you may imagine. If the soil is tainted, no good fruit can be produced from the tree. And when we deceive others in even the smallest way, we poison our own minds and hearts.
No one else will ever really know if we are being completely genuine. It is only by deep self-examination, and brutal honesty with ourselves, that any of us have a chance of breaking through the alternate reality that we have created in our minds. And one thing that I am fairly certain of, is that this process cannot begin until we cease looking outward at others and illuminating their faults. Perhaps we can each use this as a trigger. When we criticize someone else, let that be a signal that we are avoiding ourselves. Avoiding our own fragility and weaknesses. And if you or I hope to make any progress on our path, we must take these difficult steps that can feel excruciatingly uncomfortable most of the time.
I for one, have a great deal of work to do in this regard. And I am going to do my best to stop judging others as a way to avoid self examination. I see this as the only genuine way to grow on my own spiritual growth. Honesty must begin within.
