One of the most damaging sins I can commit against myself is to deceive myself. If I convince myself to think something or believe in something regarding myself that is not congruent with reality, then my perspective regarding anything related to that area will be distorted. For example, if I tell myself that I do not have a problem with something, let's say anger, then I will never see that something as my fault. Every time I become angry, I believe my anger is justified. If my anger is justified, then in my mind, I am then never to blame for my anger. This is not an accurate representation of reality. If I don't see reality clearly, how can I make decisions or take action?
Honesty with self is crucial. As much as it may hurt, I need to be honest with myself even when I am at my lowest, most selfish point. My natural inclination is to lie to myself because I am a fallen, selfish being and I don't want to see myself in that way. So I tell myself that I'm really not that bad; that it could be worse. After all, I could be like that selfish, stupid person over there who only thinks his or her next fast food meal. But if I compare myself to other people to ignore my faults, I'm not being honest with myself.
Honesty with self is vital for accurate self-evaluation.
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2 comments:
It seems like you are saying that comparing yourself to someone else is always bad? Or only when you use this comparison to take the focus off yourself?
I think you need some sort of frame of reference to assess anything, and other people are often one of the most efficient ways of doing this.
I don't think that comparing myself to others is always bad. I agree that we do need a frame of reference. However, I think comparing myself to others for the purpose of feeling better about myself is harmful in that I am not being completely honest.
I've actually been thinking about that as well and will probably address that in an upcoming post.
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