Honesty.

“Not only is honesty compatible with genuine kindness, it is the basis of kindness. False kindness pollutes. As long as you are not living in the truth, you cannot really communicate with others, you cannot have trust, you cannot relate. As long as you do not call the hard realities by name, you are living in the land of dreams. There is no room for you and me there, but only for harmful illusions. In as much as we lie, we live a life devoid of reality. And kindness cannot exist in a world of masks and phantoms.”

Today I am once again reminded of the power of honesty, as well as the power of dishonesty. They are both equally impactful but each one brings its own share of positive or negative. When I first read the phrase: “Honesty is the basis of kindness”, I had to sit and think about it for a while. I wondered if I had ever met a dishonest person who was genuinely kind. I’m almost sure I have but perhaps what I’ve really seen in someone like that is a perception of honesty, a false kindness. Maybe this masked kindness comes with a hidden agenda or selfish gain. I had never really thought of it that way before, but to be honest with ourselves first, we can in turn be honest with others a lot easier. I have always said that the basis of effective communication lies in honesty. Not only in the things that we aren’t saying (though we should), but also meaning the words we are saying.