Honesty is a quality that is inculcated in almost every religion at a young age. Hinduism traces this path of truth and righteousness as the path of Dharma.

It preaches the mutual understanding of people through the medium of truth. Christianity also captures this ideal in the form of a quote from the holy bible: "Thou shalt not bear false witness". This means that one should always live truthfully to oneself as well as to others.

Another very profound dilemma is that of the truth itself. The truth is always relative to the person it is presented to. For example, if a man is handed a glass of water that is filled only halfway, the man may choose to view it as half filled or half empty. These are both in essence the truth, yet these do not necessarily mean the same.

The solution to this challenge may be addressed uniquely from person to person through a thorough introspection of oneself. This helps not only to be able to add perspective to any given situation, but also to analyze the different responses to a situation and to pick the best course of action. It allows us to accept our unique character and ourselves.

In the modern scenario, it is observed that some people twist and corrupt the truth or just decide to misinterpret the truth intentionally to further their own agendas. This only steeps the person further into their own web of lies and chips away at their character. The truth may not be the easiest to accept, but in the long run it is always the best way to live a life without the repercussions of living shrouded by lies. After all lies, irrespective of how small, always breed more lies and compound their consequences.

For many years, the challenge that has consistently evaded philosophers has been to discern the truth of oneself. People cannot live without either emotional anchors or physical enhancements. People are not comfortable in their own skin. It is this sense of dissatisfaction that breeds feelings of hate, lust, greed and jealousy. People rely too much on others opinion of them and try to keep up with the ever-changing views of society. This leads to person who is so socially insecure that they cannot stand up to try and change anything.

A person must always have the courage to express themselves in public without caring about the publics view on them. This can be illustrated by a quote:

"It is better to be violent if there is violence in our hearts than

to put on the cloak of non-violence to cover impotence"

~Mahatma Gandhi

The quote could tell us that to each of us fulfills a particular role in this world and thus to attain our goals we should not expend energy trying to deceive ourselves into thinking we are something that we are not. Soldiers may have violence as a part of their personality, but cannot parade around preaching non-violence. So too, we must accept that we are human and that there is some darkness within us. It is after all what makes us unique.

People should not be bound by the judgment of others. They should be able to conceive their own ideas and abide by them no matter what other people think of it. Perseverance is the key to success. The belief one has in oneself is a measure of their desire to accomplish the task and also a testament to the strength of will required to fulfill it irrespective of the hurdles. This cannot be faked or imitated.

"Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace, to be

real must be unaffected by outside circumstances"

~Mahatma Gandhi

Honesty to oneself is vital to the analysis of one's strengths and weaknesses. It is pivotal to accept one's faults and correct them before criticizing others on theirs. So, to propagate peace and understanding in today's money obsessed world, we must learn to be honest to ourselves and to be honest to others about ourselves.

This does not mean that a person should totally disregard the views and opinions of others, but rather to hold their opinion with respect but to be confident in your own ability to make independent, smart decisions.

When you believe in yourself, others will inexplicably believe in you too. This is due to the fact that your body language and general air about you will exude confidence that others are attracted to.

To be true to yourself takes courage, introspection, sincerity, fairness and willingness to admit your own faults. It means that you will not allow other to define you or influence your decisions adverse to what you would have done yourself.

Most successful people have the determination, zeal and the guts to stand up with total self-confidence and assurance and express themselves to make a change. It is this outlook that can broaden the scope of evolution for all humans.

So be the best that you can and give everything you do your whole being!