Sitting in the dining hall of the local senior center one morning, I heard an older white-haired gentleman say, “I’ve learned that if I always tell the truth, I never have to remember what I said.”
He smiled, and the wisdom of his many years shone through his kind eyes, framed with soft wrinkles. How very simple his statement was, yet how challenging it is to live a true and honest life. Consider how young children usually respond honestly when asked a question. This frank innocence can be trained out of them. Children who are shamed for making mistakes, punished harshly, or witness their parents lying, can learn to color, hide or obscure the truth. They learn to lie to protect the self or not hurt another person, but their deception usually creates the opposite result. As adults, these people enter into relationships, jobs and life and the fundamental value of honesty is missing even though they believe they tell the truth. To reclaim their true voice demands courage, self-love and self-respect. They must learn to ask for the truth from others and to offer that same gift in return.
As a psychic, I am often presented with clients who want to find out the truth about their partners, or employees. These clients have a gut feeling that they have been betrayed (they may have seen texts from a partner’s lover or had money go missing), but they don’t have the courage to honestly confront the individual concerned. Fear of loss or hurt often inhibits people from digging deeper to find out the truth. My council of guides from the higher realms always reminds me that no one asks a question until they are ready for the answer. This desire to know the truth comes after enough pain has been felt and the person is ready to change their behavior.
The truth is always easier to deal with than the fear of the unknown. Once the truth is learned then decisions can be made accordingly. Loss of honesty in relationships usually indicates that a chasm has already opened between the people involved. This energetic barrier can be felt too, if secrets are withheld. When one person is willing to reveal their heart’s truth to another, then the door is opened for healing. When honesty is returned to a relationship, it may be painful, but there is renewed hope for the mending of the individuals’ hearts and minds. In some cases, the relationship may not survive the crisis of broken trust.
Personal relationships are the training ground for honesty and communication. But the truth is, we all make mistakes. A sign of maturity is when we can “tell on ourselves” and know that this is the right thing to do even if there will be consequences to pay. Sincerely sharing from the heart involves trusting another to hold in confidence the most wounded, broken and scared parts of ourselves.
In childhood we may have learned to feel unworthy of respect and honesty from others, yet we can illuminate those old patterns and change our way of reacting. With time in life's classroom, we mature and learn to accept that we are human and can be honest with others about who we are. The more we practice telling the truth, the less we have to remember and, like the gentleman in the retirement home, we can smile and be at peace with ourselves and with others.
