Honesty With Ourselves

Many people would never think of stealing from you or even telling a blatant lie to your face. Such persons would therefore view themselves as honest. However, there is another type of honesty that is the title of this piece. It is the hardest honesty to carry out, and it is not easy to realise we even have an issue with it.

How is this problem manifest? Well, the thought process starts with what one wants an answer to be, and then we let that lead us to a conclusion. This gives a comfortable answer that we feel we can live with. Self honesty could lead to a conclusion that is uncomfortable, even painful. So we don't go there. If that is how we reason, then there is a problem with self-honesty. Such a person reluctantly or never admits errors, and is always justifying him or herself.

How do we beat it? When we analyse something, we have to let the facts dictate what the truth is. If this brings us to an awkward realisation, so be it. Then we can contemplate how we can learn from this, change and become a better person. It's how we achieve personal growth. Actually, we repect people more if they acknowledge mistakes and are ready to apologise. We probably enjoy their company more too. It also makes us feel better within as well, due to it lifting our self esteem as we improve ourselves.