Sincerity

郭红艳

Sincerity
    Recently I have read a passage “Ture and False Simplicity”, which was written by a famous French theologian and writer Francois Fenelon in the 17th century. This passage is very thought-provoking and I would like to share one paragraph with you.

   Simplicity is an uprightness of soul that has no reference to self; it is different from sincerity, and it is a still higher virtue. We see many people who are sincere, without being simple; they only wish to pass for what they are, and they are unwilling to appear what they are not; they are always thinking of themselves, measuring their words, and recalling their thoughts, and reviewing their actions, from the fear that they have done too much or too little. These persons are sincere, but they are not simple; they are not at ease with others, and others are not at ease with them; they are not free, ingenuous, natural; we prefer people who are less correct, less perfect, and who are less artificial. This is the judgment of God, who would not have us so occupied with ourselves, and thus, as it were, always arranging our features in a mirror.

   After reading this passage, I thought about it for a long time.It is the human nature that we are eager to give others good impression, in case we look like a fool and act stupidly. Thus ,we look ourselves in the mirror several times before we leave the house. In order to be gracious and elegant in public, we are very cautious and careful, with lower voice and exquisite manners. As a result, it makes others uncomfortable and unease since you are not what you are but another one that you are trying to create. It is artificial and gives others the unreal sense. So we should not over- worried about our images in public and just be what you really are.

   This passage aslo makes me associate it with myself since I am not ease with others because of my worrying about wether I behave good or not. I always look within and recall what I have done or said, but it is not a easy job to think it though. Therefore it is very likely for me to be in a dilemma because sometimes even myself cann’t understand myself. It dosen’t mean I am self-centered and only care about my own intersets, but just my eager to better understand myself. Maybe I not a simple person but I am a sincere person, according to the author’s opinion. For better or worse, I am a sincere girl and I would not lie to others, which I think  is a essential virtue that everyone should have.

admin

sincerity is a virtue, yes, that's right. but sincerity shall go together with wisdom, for without the right way to show your sincerity, you'll scare others away....