蜜芽传媒

In recent weeks there鈥檚 been a spate of people in various parts of the world being imprisoned for seemingly misusing their freedom of speech. It鈥檚 renewed my gratitude for the fact that I live in a country where we really are free to express ourselves. Whilst on a political level, freedom of speech allows for greater accountability of leaders to those they are responsible for, I think the principle of it also applies to us on a more personal level.

The availability of platforms to communicate has never been greater than it is now. Both facility and permission to express ourselves with honesty is essential for healthy personal growth, developing relationships and the progress of society. However, permission to express ourselves varies from country to country, community to community, family to family and from person to person. Barriers to freely communicate constructively, can of course be external but I often find our most common barriers come from our own fears. We thwart being honest most often when we fear the consequence. Our minds are filled with a well practiced script detailing every loss that we may encounter if we speak up. Many of these scripts started being written in our childhoods.

Vedic teachings place great emphasis on honesty. The Srimad Bhagavatam goes as far as stating that if one is completely honest in their words and actions for seven years then for the next seven years the power of their word is so strong, whatever they say, will be. In both my pastoral and clinical work I see how our outer world reflects our inner world. Those who are able to receive and apply honest communication are often best at being honest with others even if the truth may be difficult to digest and even if it means they may have to sacrifice something on their part. Individuals like this are trusted by their fans, friends and heroes.

Being consistently truthful requires practice, so the sooner we start the better but it鈥檚 also never too late to start. I think that whilst dishonesty may make us immediately more comfortable, we set up a chain reaction inviting more dishonesty in our lives, getting us caught up in a vicious cycle of fear and more lies. Fear eats away at our inner strength and integrity. Our words lose their power and we may even forget our purpose. But, one truth, can be the start to a virtuous circle of honesty which invites trust. This can then give us the strength to do, as well as say the best thing. Today I鈥檓 inviting myself to speak one truth that I鈥檝e been holding back. You鈥檙e invited to do the same. What will you say?

Show less