I've been pondering this question a great deal lately, and have found the following passage from 'Abdu'l-Baha's The Secret of Divine Civilization to be particularly illuminating:
. . . man's supreme honor and real happiness lie in self-respect, in high resolves and noble purposes, in integrity and moral quality, in immaculacy of mind.
An excellent post at the Baha'i-inspired blog, Rocky Mountain Journal delves into this very topic as well, examining the relationship between truthfulness and personal growth. The post examines the Baha'i teaching that "truthfulness is the foundation of all human virtues" and comes to the conclusion that truthfulness is an indispensible tool in achieving the appropriate balance and fostering growth:
The tricky part is that if I cannot look at things as they are, identify and work from a position of reality, then this process will be short-circuited and of little benefit. The two equally destructive tendencies are to dwell only on ones faults and thus wallow in ones own worthlessness (stymieing constructive action and progress) and to see only ones own virtues, thus never having the chance to recognize and stop behaviors that are destructive. Truthfulness, then, is an indispensable tool in our growth and progress. Without truthfulness, we cannot make our lives better.There is much more to the post--please see for yourself!
3 comments:
Dear Victor,
I have just started a new blog with the main objective to talk about psychology and human rights, anxiously concerned about the real world of our time, as you so well defend here.
I just made a link to your blog, and I hope that's no problem!
I also hope we can start a exchange of material and ideas through the net.
Keep on the good work, I want to keep learning (after all, aren't we in a learning culture?) ;-)
Truthfulness really is the foundation of all human virtues as painfully dramatized by many of our leaders who place ideology before reality with devastating consequences. This is in part why the spiritual and moral development of children and young people is of paramount importance.
Dear Sam,
Thank you for your comment. I hope we can exchange ideas over the net too! I look forward to being a regular reader of your blog.
Dear Phillipe,
Thank you for your comment as well. I think the point about spiritual and moral development of children is essential too. It's interesting to think about how truthfulness can be cultivated as the foundation of such moral development in children.
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