We need to be honest to ourselves
There is no exact
measurement tool for honesty. As there are different views of life
and criteria for happiness, there are different ways to judge to
what extent we should live with honesty. If we think happiness is measured by accumulated wealth and fame, then honesty is definitely not a powerful weapon to use in the fierce war of competition. Those who find true happiness in a peaceful mind, and who have let go most of their unnecessary desires and struggles with their own transient emotions are able to protect their mind in all circumstances. Such people never have their minds spoiled by pursuing other worldly gains and achievements. A contaminated mind is ten thousand times more difficult to correct than a failure in the mundane life. Even when one is successful in life, one is still unhappy if one's mind is marred.
In other words, very often those who look inwards would rather be more mindful in taking care of their minds than chase after the fleeting worldly scenes around them. But even those people sometimes have to make a choice between living with honesty and participating in life's cheating game. The reason is that their inner strength may not be strong enough to protect themselves from external attractions and temptations in life, which always stir up human dormant seeds of greed and desire. As a result, such people have to struggle hard against their inner contradictions, between the good and the bad from within. Those who are able to sublimate their minds towards higher and better life values are truly self-conquerors. In reality, however, the struggle is not that simple. Not always are human beings able to conquer themselves merely by a strong determination to live up to high values with a strong will. Our capacity to live up to those high values may be at a lower level than we thought. Because we have been shaped by our past lives of desires, showoff, and and dishonesty for so long, even our strong will may be knocked down by such past trends or habits.
Therefore, it is better for us first to understand our true self, and not to try hard to suppress our desires with a strong will, a will to improve the self to become an expected product which could fool its own producer. In fooling ourselves, when we are angry, we deny that we are in anger. When we are envious, we claim that we are trying hard to compete with others. When we are cowardly, we say we are practicing tolerance. We cannot see our own true self because of the spontaneous interference of our will. Instead of transforming them, our interfering will simply obstructs the increase of our sufferings. We become subjective in our judgement, and are easily caught off guard by our bad habits and behaviors without our understanding why they emerge.
(To be continued)
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