What do I believe in? Honesty! I have lived the majority of my life believing in the old adage of "Honesty is the best policy," because as Judge Judy says "if you tell the truth, you don't have to have a good memory." As I was reflecting on this belief, I made a discovery about some people who have come through my life. I have discovered that:
People whose lives are filled with dishonesty, falsehoods, and duplicity are extraordinarily quick to accuse others of being deceitful. I can only assume because their lives are so deeply mired in lies that they automatically believe that everyone behaves in the same manner. Conversely, people who live their lives with complete and utter honesty (i.e., yours truly) always assume that most people are honest, which usually comes back to bite us in the arse!
I have on occasion been accused by people that I had been dishonest about various things. These people were always those that I gave implicit trust (like parents, siblings, close friends, extended family members, etc.). In every instance, I had been completely truthful and forthright with these individuals. As it turned out on each and every occasion, my accusers were mired in a boatload of lies and falsehoods. They automatically went to the place that I must be lying when in fact the opposite was true. A truly interesting phenomenon.
What I have learned from all of this reflection is that there isn't much I can do about how other people view me or how they live their lives, I can only live with the knowledge that I am an honest person who expects other to be the same, but is more often than not disappointed. There are just too many people in the world for whom dishonesty is their way of life and that I should stop being frustrated when I'm consistently lied to. This lesson is probably an important one for a high school teacher, because after all, how can you tell if a teenager is lying? Their lips are moving. (Another Judge Judy-ism.)
What do you believe in?
People whose lives are filled with dishonesty, falsehoods, and duplicity are extraordinarily quick to accuse others of being deceitful. I can only assume because their lives are so deeply mired in lies that they automatically believe that everyone behaves in the same manner. Conversely, people who live their lives with complete and utter honesty (i.e., yours truly) always assume that most people are honest, which usually comes back to bite us in the arse!
I have on occasion been accused by people that I had been dishonest about various things. These people were always those that I gave implicit trust (like parents, siblings, close friends, extended family members, etc.). In every instance, I had been completely truthful and forthright with these individuals. As it turned out on each and every occasion, my accusers were mired in a boatload of lies and falsehoods. They automatically went to the place that I must be lying when in fact the opposite was true. A truly interesting phenomenon.
What I have learned from all of this reflection is that there isn't much I can do about how other people view me or how they live their lives, I can only live with the knowledge that I am an honest person who expects other to be the same, but is more often than not disappointed. There are just too many people in the world for whom dishonesty is their way of life and that I should stop being frustrated when I'm consistently lied to. This lesson is probably an important one for a high school teacher, because after all, how can you tell if a teenager is lying? Their lips are moving. (Another Judge Judy-ism.)
What do you believe in?
2 comments:
I believe in me. And that comes in different packages to different people. It does get confusing sometimes but oh well. That's what makes me interesting and unique.
I believe that everything is unbelievable!
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