Dr. Vijai S Shankar MD.PhD.
Published on www.academy-advaita.com
The Netherlands

14th August 2017

Honesty

“Self-reflection”


Everyone believes that he or she is honest. Even a thief believes that he is honest. The thief, however, is not honest to admit that his character and actions suggest that he is a thief.

A judge may be required to prove a thief. This implies that a thief is anyone who takes things which belong to others and not to him. But everything belongs to life, so what does this make everyone’s character and actions to be, including the judge’s, if they claim somethings belong to them? This requires deep self-reflection.

Self-reflection means a deep thought about one's character and actions. Everyone, on self-reflection, knows that he behaves in order to maintain social etiquette.

Social etiquette of character and actions requires all to own only what belongs to them and not what belongs to another. This is widely accepted by all who are knowledgeable.

A thief never claims to own what does not belong to him. This would be in accordance with social etiquette, but a thief’s character and actions are not in accordance with social etiquette. This requires deep self-reflection. 

But humans, who are not a thief, however, claim what belongs to life as their own. This is not in accordance with social etiquette. This needs deep self-reflection.

Firstly, the wise understand that every living and non-living entity in life is made up of elements that man cannot make. The elements that make up every aspect of life are manifested by the intelligence in life and, therefore, belong to life and neither to man nor to his mind.

A wise man is an honest man because he understands, on self-reflection, that life will unfold the way it is meant to unfold. The wise also understand that life never judges whoever takes what naturally belongs to life as their own.  

The wise also understand, on self-reflection, that character and actions that are meant to happen only happen and that neither man nor his mind can make character or an action happen in any situation or circumstance.

The wise also understand that what man is meant to have he will have, including the thoughts that he has. Neither man nor his mind can make his thoughts or what he has. The wise also understand that no one is a thief.

 Author: Dr. Vijai S. Shankar
© Copyright V. S. Shankar 2017

Editor’s Note:
In society, man owns what he or she has acceptably acquired or made. To deprive such a man of what has been acceptably acquired or made is the dishonest action of a thief. Such is the law of society. However, all that man has in his or her life is the gift of life: his thoughts, his actions, his possessions - and also his life. Man has never owned, cannot own and will never own anything in his or her life. Self-reflection, as gifted in this article by the wise, reveals that this is so. It reveals honesty.
Julian Capper, UK.

German Translator’s Note: 
Nobody likes it when something gets stolen. This is natural and rightfully so. However, such an event could make man more grateful for all his possessions, because he can understand that it is all life’s possession and everything is borrowed from life as long as it is meant to be. Dr. Shankar in the article “Honesty“ helps man and woman to appreciate life in every aspect of daily life more deeply. Even socially as wrong labeled events such as stealing are a gift of life to understand and trust life better. 
Marcus Stegmaier, Germany. 

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