Yesterday, I talked about being happy with what we already have. Today is a new day.
I see a lot of people making things up in order to save-face and avoid admitting mistakes they've made or things they want to hide. The biggest lies people tell are also done through the masks they wear. A lot of it has to do with our insecurities that we don't want exposed. Yet I think that by concealing them, we're adding fuel to the fire and making our insecurities worse. We're essentially telling the world that we don't think we're good enough for the world. What do you think that kind of attitude will have on you and how others react to you? People are pretty good at detecting bullshit, so if we're honest about who we are, how can we expect to be trusted in anything?
During my middle school days I used to try hiding that I liked games, anime, and manga because there are negative stereotypes surrounding them. I didn't want to be seen as a loser and picked on at school. I got to the point where I'd compulsively lie about things because I wanted to be seen as interesting and cool. I wanted to be liked, but in being dishonest with everyone I was also alienating myself. As soon as people started learning who I really was, the sense of betrayal that comes with knowing that you were being lied to was too much for them to trust me. I lost friends because I was fake. Game recognizes game and I was looking unfamiliar.
How you do anything is how you do everything. My dishonesty reflected in my schoolwork, too. I didn't give it my all and everything I did was half-assed. Even the things I really liked I stopped really trying because I didn't want to lose. I'd do enough to win, but I wouldn't take things too seriously. I became sort of a class-clown and it really ate away at my soul. Social dynamics are a real bitch, huh?
Eventually, I decided that I didn't want to live like that. I wanted people to accept me for me. It took a lot of time (and I'm still learning), but I tried to stop caring so much what other people thought of me and began opening up to others more about who I really was. The lies that once had a vice-grip on my heart were now loosened and I could breath sweet relief knowing that the people I was getting close to were doing so because I was good enough. We're all worthy of being loved and appreciated, but we first have to walk the walk.
This is done in many ways. One thing I really value is honesty and keeping your word. The last thing I want to do is deceive others, even if it means looking like a fool. I don't like it when people try to bullshit me, so I in turn make efforts to admit when I'm wrong or if I don't know how to answer something. I'm especially mindful when I'm teaching my students. They often ask me grammar questions that I don't quite know how to answer (grammar is just something I don't know well enough to explain well), but when I catch myself struggling to explain something I remind myself that I want to be honest so I tell them I don't know and that I'll look into it to answer for them later. This way I can still be helpful to them while remaining honest with them and myself. Even if I look silly sometimes, I can say with certainty that it's been a lot healthier for my soul.
You don't have to keep track of what you've said when telling the truth.
Peace
"It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching." - St. Francis of AssisiThe best way to teach someone is to lead by example. When teaching my kids anything I have to model for them what they should say, or how to play the games we do in class. I have to be the example for them to learn from. The same is with any lesson in life. We're all guilty of being hypocritical from time to time, but this is something that I especially try to keep in mind. Actions always speak louder than words no matter how elegant they may sound. It's much more powerful to see someone sacrifice something in order to help someone out than to simply tell people that we should help each other out. Practice what you preach, don't spit game you're not able to back-up.
I see a lot of people making things up in order to save-face and avoid admitting mistakes they've made or things they want to hide. The biggest lies people tell are also done through the masks they wear. A lot of it has to do with our insecurities that we don't want exposed. Yet I think that by concealing them, we're adding fuel to the fire and making our insecurities worse. We're essentially telling the world that we don't think we're good enough for the world. What do you think that kind of attitude will have on you and how others react to you? People are pretty good at detecting bullshit, so if we're honest about who we are, how can we expect to be trusted in anything?
During my middle school days I used to try hiding that I liked games, anime, and manga because there are negative stereotypes surrounding them. I didn't want to be seen as a loser and picked on at school. I got to the point where I'd compulsively lie about things because I wanted to be seen as interesting and cool. I wanted to be liked, but in being dishonest with everyone I was also alienating myself. As soon as people started learning who I really was, the sense of betrayal that comes with knowing that you were being lied to was too much for them to trust me. I lost friends because I was fake. Game recognizes game and I was looking unfamiliar.
How you do anything is how you do everything. My dishonesty reflected in my schoolwork, too. I didn't give it my all and everything I did was half-assed. Even the things I really liked I stopped really trying because I didn't want to lose. I'd do enough to win, but I wouldn't take things too seriously. I became sort of a class-clown and it really ate away at my soul. Social dynamics are a real bitch, huh?
Eventually, I decided that I didn't want to live like that. I wanted people to accept me for me. It took a lot of time (and I'm still learning), but I tried to stop caring so much what other people thought of me and began opening up to others more about who I really was. The lies that once had a vice-grip on my heart were now loosened and I could breath sweet relief knowing that the people I was getting close to were doing so because I was good enough. We're all worthy of being loved and appreciated, but we first have to walk the walk.
This is done in many ways. One thing I really value is honesty and keeping your word. The last thing I want to do is deceive others, even if it means looking like a fool. I don't like it when people try to bullshit me, so I in turn make efforts to admit when I'm wrong or if I don't know how to answer something. I'm especially mindful when I'm teaching my students. They often ask me grammar questions that I don't quite know how to answer (grammar is just something I don't know well enough to explain well), but when I catch myself struggling to explain something I remind myself that I want to be honest so I tell them I don't know and that I'll look into it to answer for them later. This way I can still be helpful to them while remaining honest with them and myself. Even if I look silly sometimes, I can say with certainty that it's been a lot healthier for my soul.
You don't have to keep track of what you've said when telling the truth.
Peace
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| In a stroke of irony, we turn into the fool we avoid becoming when we avoid the truth. |
Do you practice what you preach?
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