"I create a world of honesty by modeling honest, authentic behavior."

[poltr1]

How many of you have a personal mission statement? How many out there have answers to "Who are you? What do you want? Why are you here? Where are you going?"

The subject line of this post states my current mission statement. (Yes, it changes over time. At one time it was "I create a world where people live the tenets of their faith, not through the words they quote or labels they apply to themselves.")


So, what does a world of honesty look like? I see it as a world without lies, deceit, deception, distortion, spin, and bullshit. Everyone is honest with each other and tells the truth.

Why is this important to me? Why do I want a world of honesty? I've seen and heard of too many people -- myself included -- who have been hurt, either emotionally or financially, through dishonest people, or dishonest methods. I want to put an end to this hurt. I want to leave this world a better place than it was when I came into it. I want to make a difference.

What can I do about it? Ultimately, probably not much. I'm just one salmon swimming upstream. But "if it is to be, it is up to me". All I can do is live my life the way I see fit. I don't bamboozle or bullshit people. (And if I tried, it would be so flimsy and transparent that nearly everyone will call me on it. I suck at lying, so why bother?)

A good mission statement has two parts: vision and action. What is the type of world I want to be in? And what am I going to do to achieve it? Both parts need to be present. There is a Japanese proverb that says "Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

Comments

[patoadam]

I think a high level of honesty is essential in order for society to function. At the same time, I bet there are questions you would not answer honestly, such as:

"Does this dress make me look fat?"

"Where is Anne Frank hiding?"

You have more faith than I do that total honesty will lead to a better world. In particular I suspect, based on what you have posted, that your honesty contributed to the loss of your last job. Do you agree?

[poltr1]

Possibly. But I don't know for sure. The chain of command at my last job wouldn't take the time -- or didn't have the guts -- to come up to me and talk to me about what I posted. It was left to my engagement manager to be the "hatchet man".

[patoadam]

There is no smoking gun, but I thought you were likely to lose your job when you "cleared the air", and I was sure of it when you posted to your client's bulletin board.

I'd like to tell you about my grandfather, because he, like you, had strong convictions that shaped his life. Grandpa was a socialist. He did not practice his religion because "religion is the opiate of the masses." When my mother was a little girl, Grandpa sent her to a socialist summer camp where she was taught that she would be in the vanguard of the coming socialist utopia.

Grandpa also believed "to each according to his needs," so in his job as the owner of a pharmacy he would give medicine for free to people who couldn't pay. Word of this got around, and more and more people said they couldn't pay. Eventually his business failed. From then on my grandmother had to support the family. I think she did small odd jobs, like mending clothes for the neighbors. There were days my grandmother didn't eat so that there would be food for the rest of the family.

Grandpa would have done fine in a socialist utopia, but he couldn't create one because he couldn't make other people more altruistic. Similarly, you can't make the Bernie Madoffs and the Ken Lays of the world more honest, so you need to cope with the world you actually live in.

Honesty, like altruism, is an important virtue. But when you land your next job, you may want to also think about the virtue of getting along with other people, especially people who have the power to fire you.

Good luck! Hope you find another job quickly!

[kliklikitty.livejournal.com]

Honesty is only a small portion of my personal Mission statement. We have talked in person about my email sig plate. "LOVE IS MY LAW, LOVE ABOVE ALL" You know that for me I must make my every decision based on love. Love of self, Love of Others, Love of creation, and Love of the creators. More importantly for me is the need to balance all 4 of these loves in every decision. When I do so, I know that I can live with myself even if it latter turns out that I was wrong in my choices.

Being Honest with myself and others is just one part of the love that I strive to live by. And you have seen first hand how living as I do helps myself and the people I call friend or family, or stranger. Even if for some reason I don't impact the world in a positive way, I know that I am impacting myself in positive ways every day.