In my Facebook page, my favourite quotation listed is by Spencer K. Kimball:
Love people, not things; Use things, not people.
How many of you have experienced situations where so-called friends are nice to you and then once their objectives are met would not go near you with a ten-foot pole? Think. Recall. Reflect.
I am sure some of you must have had your fair share of relating to such Tupperware characters, if you get my drift..
In life, sincerity is of prime importance in our endeavour to be human and humane. It does not cost much to be sincere, kind or sensitive to the needs and feelings of others. Yet, around us lurk double-faced fiends who say one thing and mean another. There are just far too many lies and pretentiousness in this world. Regardless of how far mankind has progressed, I reckon that more and more have lost touch with their hearts, souls and sensitivity to their spirit and what it means to be a friend, to be human.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, “What is uttered from the heart alone, Will win the hearts of others to your own.”
Whilst I agree with Goethe, I surmise it does not apply to those whose hearts are Glad-wrapped so tightly with pseudo-sincerity that by the time reality hits, it is by far too late for the pain of being deceived is like a bolt of lightning that can kill.
It is not worth losing sleep over those who have hurt us but it IS worth it if we chance upon unexpected folks who, in time, turn out to be a friend closer than a brother.
In 2008, I got to know a friend with whom I could click with instantly. We could share so much and talk nineteen to a dozen. Alas, I was too naive to appreciate his wisdom when he advised me to be wiser in my judgement of people. Naturally I was indignant but four years down the road, I can attest to the truth of his observation and advice. We drifted apart and lost touch for three and a half years. I called him a fortnight ago over some sad news and whilst the circumstance was a sorrowful one, it was good to reconnect. I am not sure if that friendship can ever be restored, but I hope it will, idealistic as it may seem.
I have come to realize that as we move on in life, there are some things we want to hold on to and some we wish to let go.
It is the same with friendships. Sometimes, dreamers and idealistic ones like me might not have the wisdom to discern when a person is sincere. But when we can truly see people as who they are, not what they want us to think they are, then we know it is time to move on.
How sincere then should we be to people? My response: VERY SINCERE. If the other party is not, then it is his/her loss in life. Oscar Wilde said, “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.” Very true indeed.
Four years down the road, I still know and believe that the friend I lost in 2008 is a very good person at heart. To find people like him who are upright in principles and speak HONESTLY and SINCERELY without mincing their words, without deception or lies - is indeed a rarity.
But when you do find such a person, treasure, cherish and value that friendship. I still do, despite the drift, and can never forget the exchange of ideals, hopes and aspirations we once shared. - simply, succinctly and most of all sincerely. To this day, I still read the emails he sent me filled with advice, exhortation and even rebuke - all written sincerely. I doubt he still reads my blog today but if by chance he is reading this: Thank you for everything - from the bottom of my heart.
This I believe - if a person can look at you in the eyes when talking to you, then you know he is sincere. If they look away in a conversation, the writing is on the wall. That friend had the most piercing eyes that seemed as if he could look into my soul. Perhaps he did - he saw the good and the bad in me, and cared enough to tell me how I could be more than who I am today. And that, dear readers, is a true friend indeed.
Here's a list of quotations on sincerity to help us all reflect on this rare quality - sincerity- that is diminishing in modern society.
“The worst vice of a fanatic is his sincerity.”
Oscar Wilde Quotes
“Time goes by fast, and people go in and out of your life so quickly, so you should never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you”
Pablo Picasso Quotes
“To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful.”
Edward R. Murrow Quotes
“Fear is not in the habit of speaking truth; when perfect sincerity is expected, perfect freedom must be allowed; nor has anyone who is apt to be angry when he hears the truth any cause to wonder that he does not hear it.”
Publius Cornelius Tacitus Quotes
“How can sincerity be a condition of friendship? A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing.”
Albert Camus Quotes
“One of the hardest things in this world is to admit you are wrong. And nothing is more helpful in resolving a situation than its frank admission.”
Benjamin Disraeli Quotes
“So let us begin anew - remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof”
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Quotes
“Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.”
Charles Haddon Spurgeon Quotes
“Sincerity is the highest compliment you can pay.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
“Sincerity and truth are the basis of every virtue”
Confucius Quotes
“Always be sincere, whether you mean it or not.”
Graffiti Quotes
“Enthusiasm is the genius of sincerity and truth accomplishes no victories without it.”
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton Quotes
“The secret of success is sincerity. Once you can fake that, you've got it made.”
Jean Giraudoux Quotes
“A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.”
Oscar Wilde Quotes
“The egoism which enters into our theories does not affect their sincerity; rather, the more our egoism is satisfied, the more robust is our belief.”
George Eliot Quotes
“Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second person, hypocrisy begins.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes
May each one of us be true and sincere and live exemplary lives that we may be an inspiration to those we love.
cin2tan " Sincerely" sang C Francis !