What about honesty?
In a world that believes in the myth of separation, honesty is a very dicey subject. Most of us think of honesty as ethical behavior in relation to other, separate individuals. If you truly shared a mind with another human, honesty (as commonly defined) would be a moot point. It would never occur to you to lie, cheat, or deceive if all your thoughts were not private. Thus, the entire question of honesty with other people is already predicated on the acceptance of duality.
Honesty with self is a different issue entirely. Can we deceive ourselves? Most would answer, resoundingly, YES! But how can that happen? You know your own thoughts. But we all know how it happens. We either keep certain things out of our consciousness, or we build a faulty system of logic in our minds. Indeed, the entire teaching of non-duality could be summarized by asserting that the human view of existence is inherently dishonest! If we are truly ONE, how can we convince ourselves that we are many?
Organized religions teach the value of honesty to young people, and those who accept the teachings can easily fall into a lock-step reflex-like reaction to communication; they've been taught that being dishonest is 'wrong' and that lying is 'bad.' Human life, though, frequently presents situations where being honest conflicts with other important parts of the credo. Is it wrong to lie when the Nazis ask if you're hiding a Jewish family in your home? Is it wrong to lie when a person asks your opinion about their new hairstyle or lifestyle? Is it wrong to lie when you are asked a question that is not appropriate to the situation?
I have to say that moving from the training of organized religion into my current practice of studying non-dualism has really clarified some of the thorny questions of honesty that used to plague me. If Oneness is Reality, then all of us who believe in separation are dishonest! Each moment that I believe in an aspect of individuality, I'm being dishonest. Each time I believe I have needs, I'm being dishonest. Each time I feel fear, I'm being dishonest. Each time I feel anger, I'm being dishonest. Every thought, word, or action in human life is dishonest because human life itself is founded on a faulty concept.
The process of accepting the One Reality of God could be described as the process of gradually becoming more honest.
Honesty with self is a different issue entirely. Can we deceive ourselves? Most would answer, resoundingly, YES! But how can that happen? You know your own thoughts. But we all know how it happens. We either keep certain things out of our consciousness, or we build a faulty system of logic in our minds. Indeed, the entire teaching of non-duality could be summarized by asserting that the human view of existence is inherently dishonest! If we are truly ONE, how can we convince ourselves that we are many?
Organized religions teach the value of honesty to young people, and those who accept the teachings can easily fall into a lock-step reflex-like reaction to communication; they've been taught that being dishonest is 'wrong' and that lying is 'bad.' Human life, though, frequently presents situations where being honest conflicts with other important parts of the credo. Is it wrong to lie when the Nazis ask if you're hiding a Jewish family in your home? Is it wrong to lie when a person asks your opinion about their new hairstyle or lifestyle? Is it wrong to lie when you are asked a question that is not appropriate to the situation?
I have to say that moving from the training of organized religion into my current practice of studying non-dualism has really clarified some of the thorny questions of honesty that used to plague me. If Oneness is Reality, then all of us who believe in separation are dishonest! Each moment that I believe in an aspect of individuality, I'm being dishonest. Each time I believe I have needs, I'm being dishonest. Each time I feel fear, I'm being dishonest. Each time I feel anger, I'm being dishonest. Every thought, word, or action in human life is dishonest because human life itself is founded on a faulty concept.
The process of accepting the One Reality of God could be described as the process of gradually becoming more honest.
posted by AWB @ 2/07/2011 04:58:00 AM
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