If you stick to the truth consistently and sincerely, the sense of guilt will not gnaw your heart and cause pain. The easiest habit is speaking the truth and being honest. For, if you start telling lies, you will have to keep count of them and remember how many you have told to whom and be always alert to not contradict one lie with another! Also be aware that it is cowardice that makes you hide the truth. It is hatred that sharpens the edge of falsehood. Be bold and there is no need for a lie. Be full of love and there is no need for duplicity, tricks and ploys. Finally, the most important truth is, if you love a person, then you will automatically feel that they deserve the truth and nothing less than the truth.
- Divine Discourse, Apr 3, 1958
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ReplyDeleteVery true.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I do not think cowardice directly makes one hide the truth. While the act of lying may be cowardly, the root comes from shame or deception. If the root is something one is ashamed of, then the need will arise to cover that shame with the soft cushion of something more acceptable. If the root is born of deception, then that is not cowardice--it is manipulation. While deception can be rooted in shame, it can also come from the fire of desire.