True Honesty Leads Toward True Happiness
Honesty is a pretty difficult thing for us. We always seem to think that lying will make our lives easier, happier, or some way better. Really, it is total and complete honesty that will lead you toward happiness. Lying (or simply not being completely honest) only delays your arrival to true joy.
Consider the classic story of the quiet kid (let's call him Jeff) who is attracted to the pretty girl (let's call her Sandy). Jeff wants so badly to be with Sandy. He pines for her. He imagines how wonderful it would be to spend his life with her. But he is so terribly shy, he simply cannot muster the courage to actually tell her how he feels or ask her out.
Weeks, months, even years pass, and Jeff is still in the same awkward place of hope and fear that he was the first time he saw Sandy. If he had been completely honest and told Sandy how he felt about her, no matter the result, it would have led him toward happiness.
If he asked her out and she said yes, then he's already closer than he was. If she says no, it may hurt, but he no longer will be pining for her, which releases the burden from his head and his heart. If their date goes well, they will happily continue their relationship. If it does not go well, Jeff will once again be released from his desires.
If their relationship grows deeper, they may get married and spend their lives together. They may also have a horrible break-up. But even then, once the initial pain subsides, Jeff will be able to see all the other people in his life. He may start to realize that Jenny has had eyes for him for quite some time and they share far more interests than Sandy ever did.
Being completely honest to yourself is not easy. That's why we don't do it enough. It can lead to us realizing that our hopes and desires are no more than pipe dreams. When that happens, it hurts. But that is pain we can get over. Meanwhile, it allows us to progress with life, to move on to the next thing, and to keep discarding the useless until we find that perfect match, whether we're talking about people, jobs, or breakfast cereals.
True honesty will always lead toward true happiness. And that is always worth the effort.
No comments:
Post a Comment