Straight thinking is all about another “moral” necessity: honesty and truthfulness. Honesty not only includes telling the whole truth accurately, but honesty must be the motivation when seeking to tell the truth. An attempt to be less than honest will end up in our twisting of the truth for our own purposes. This is crooked thinking — crooked because it lies and corrupts the truth. “Truthfully” means without falsification and twisting of the facts.
History’s Hideous Examples Lacking Honesty and Truthfulness
Honest and truthfulness are very important ingredients of straight thinking. History is replete with examples of thinking that is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg. Perhaps the most hideous example is in the history of China. Chinese leaders were killing citizens en mass and boiling the captured, forcing the unfortunate survivors to drink the human soup of their relatives and loved ones. Consequently, China’s society was nearing total collapse. Confucius appeared and, remarkably, was able to convince the main leaders of morally responsible behavior that saved the Chinese society from certain implosion.
The Chinese people honor Confucius and his teachings to this very day, even if they do not adhere to his teachings politically. Without morals, all societies eventually crumble. An honest basis for reasoning starts not with our actions, but in the heart as personal moral standards. We see it emerge from our hearts in our love for others, not our manipulation of them. We cannot divorce straight thinking (where all our actions begin) from honesty and truth.
Leaders Who Lie and Deceive
An increasing number of the world’s cultures today snub truth and force it to kiss the ring on the hands of political leaders who traffic in lies and deceitfulness. We and our children can get swept up in crooked representations of facts and beliefs. That’s one of our major concerns. Moreover, the world destroys itself and enslaves its people when it treats truth as an expendable element in what is touted as a beneficial society.
Honesty and Truthfulness Are Prerequisites to Survival
What do we do about this state of affairs? We teach ourselves and our children that lying benefits no one. It creates people who can no longer be trusted. Additionally, teach that being honest and truthful is the mark of courage and strength. And finally, we must teach not with angry attacks on our child’s or our own selves, but with patient and loving care, coupled with the insistence that we must face the consequences of our actions.
Therefore, ask, “What consequences do you want to live with? And how do you want people to describe you — as an honest person to be trusted or a liar?” Ask yourself, “Am I courageous and strong — a straight thinker or a crooked liar and weak?
In my new book Who Am I?, I describe how we have become “crooked thinkers” and how to break out of this prison of the mind to become instruments of change for a better world by recognizing the source of our value as humans. You can get your copy HERE. (Psst! Subscribers to my weekly updates can receive a 15% discount and free shipping from that link!)
Lean into the whole truth by discovering the truth of who YOU are — the “Real You” — and who your children truly are. Discover how to best engage your children in finding the whole truth. Our team at InnerKinetics is ready to provide that help. If you’d like some assistance, you can request a consultation and an InnerKinetics consultant will call you to answer questions and schedule your meeting. Schedule an Initial Consultation. If you are more independent and want to cut to the chase, you need not wait for a call back because you can get answers to your questions and schedule your session HERE.