Be True to Your Self

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A senior colleague who is also a good friend suggested me to write on ?be true to your self.? I am reminded of the wise words of Chanakya, who said, ?a person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first.?

Sometimes a bit of diplomacy is required. Being true to one self doesn't mean that one should drop his guard. I am not advocating that one should be dishonest because dishonesty will not take you far. Today or tomorrow your true face will come in front of the world and you will become a laughing stock. But one has to be tactful?be honest to yourself, definitely, but be tactful at the same time. Without tact, you run the risk of getting, to use Chanakya's word, "screwed"

Can you be honest with your boss? Can you straight away tell him that he is making a mess of things? Unless you are prepared to lose your job, you will not.

Somehow or the other you will handle the circumstance in a diplomatic way. In this way are you ?being true to your self?? You aren't. Likewise one comes across so many situations where one keeps quiet, ignores, takes no action, etc, even though one is not comfortable.

Sir Winston Churchill rightly said, "never stand so high upon a principle that you cannot lower it to suit the circumstances." Listen to what your conscience says but act as per the situation. I know of many people who have taken a stand ?just to be true to one self? only to regret it later. There are various factors that dictate one?s actions and ?being true to self? is just one of them.

Even Lord Krishna took the route of diplomacy / tact. In the court of Kauravas, verbally he showed that he didn't want the war, but actually he wanted the war to take place, though he never approved telling of lies.

Call a crow a crow as long as it suits you but if it doesn't, then call it a cuckoo, as long as you are not killing the bird, what harm are you doing?