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Today's
Meditation:
I long ago gave up on the idea that I can do anything
that won't be found out. No matter what my
motivation for doing so, I've learned that everything that
I do eventually becomes known by someone, and therefore
it's important that I do only those things that I'm fine
with other people knowing-- especially where other people
are concerned. There really are no secrets, after
all.
But what I like about Hugh's words is the fact that he's
not talking about living this way just to preserve your
good name or to stay out of trouble. What he's
giving is advice that will help us to consistently make
decisions that are healthy and worthwhile, decisions that
will make us happy people and that won't allow us to do things that
are destructive or harmful. If I constantly make
decisions based on the assumption that others will know
what I've done, I don't have to do so just to preserve my
good name in their eyes; rather, I do so because I want to
lead a good life.
Sometimes it's very hard to see which decision would be
best, especially if one might benefit us in ways that are
possibly unethical or that present a double
standard. I would take Hugh's words even further to
say "eventually be known to a very young person who
trusts you completely to do what's right." In
that case, my decisions will be much, much easier to make.
I don't think we even have to live "as if," for
the truth is that all that we do is known by us. And
while I don't recommend being harsh judges of ourselves, I
do think it's important that we have some kinds of
standards that we can live by, and that we can apply to
our lives so that our decisions are easier, better, and
more able to stand the tests of time and scrutiny.
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