Theme for the week 4/12 - 4/18: Objectivity.

#SongLesson

"Been searching for a long long time
For that oh-so-true love
To comfort this heart of mine,
No pretense stop wasting my time,
A virtuous woman is really hard to find.
I'm telling you lady,
I'm only human, not looking for impossibility,
Just a genuine woman with sincerity.
Someone who is always near to hold me,
Show me you care, up front and boldly,
Don't shun my feelings, all the positive meanings,
Love me morning, noon, all seasons.
...
I wanna be loved
Not for who you think I am
Nor what you want me to be
Could you love me for me?"
- From the song 'Wanna Be Loved' by Buju Bantan

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwSU0rcVTaE

This bad teacher stole questions for a statewide exam so that her students would get better grades.
Movie: Bad Teacher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VihlsPKMh4U

What lessons on honesty did you get from the movie '22 Jump Street'?

22 JUMP STREET Trailer (2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9S_dYuq0vE

"Honesty maketh rich, but she works slowly."
- German Proverb

"A clean mouth and an honest hand
Will take a man through any land."
- German Proverb

"A nod of an honest man is enough."
- English Proverb

"Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters."
- Albert Einstein

Twitter post:

Bible Time ‏@Bible_Time Apr 4
Honesty can keep you safe, but if you can't be trusted, you trap yourself. -Proverbs 11:6

"The real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong."
- Laura Ingalls Wilder

"An honest man is believed without an oath, for his reputation swears for him."
- Eliza Cook, Diamond Dust

"Honesty is an eternal principle in the government of God; a great pillar in his magnificent house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens; an attribute of his immortal and glorious being. In a man it is a God-like thing, simple in its beauty, grand in its simplicity."
- George Sumner Weaver, The Ways of Life

"Honesty is a person's most valuable asset. His or her good name, good reputation, and good word depend on the individual's quality of honesty. A business that operates under the principles of profound honesty is elevated within the community. It is respected and treasured. The absence of honesty is a liability to an individual or business."
- James H. Merkel & Abdul Wahad Al-Falaij, On the Art of Business

From the song 'The Great Pretender':

Oh-oh, yes I'm the great pretender,
Adrift in a world of my own.
I've played the game but to my real shame,
You've left me to grieve all alone.

Too real is this feeling of make-believe,
Too real when I feel what my heart can't conceal.

Yes I'm the great pretender,
Just laughin' and gay like a clown.
I seem to be what I'm not, you see,
I'm wearing my heart like a crown,
Pretending that you're still around.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w700qJE2exY

Let there be light!

Twitter post:
Spiritual Truths ‏@TheGodLight Apr 6
Let the truth be the light that you see by, open your heart to honesty & close the door to illusion.

"Let me tell you a secret, which ought not to be a secret, seeing it is written in the Scriptures--be honest and your whole body will be full of light; and this of every kind; you will actually see further and see clearer than shrewd and cunning men, and you will be less liable to be duped than they, provided that your honesty be combined with a determination to protect honesty, and to discountenance every kind of brand."
- Edward Irving, Sermons, Lectures and Occasional Discourses: vol. 2

Interesting.....

Twitter post:

Fact Book ‏@thefactguide Apr 7
Alcohol activates and stimulates the same part of the brain associated with honesty.

"Sometimes in this life, under the stress of an exceptional emotion, people do say what they think."
- Marcel Proust, The Guermantes Way

Angry people seem to be more honest....

Twitter post:
Wikipedia ‏@itzwikipedia Apr 5
Anger triggers the region of the brain associated with honesty, that's when the truth comes out.

Can you spot a  horrible boss?
In the movie 'Horrible_Bosses', the bosses lied and cheated and took advantage of their employees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnzIA-yu268

What about those who pretend? Can you spot the pretenders easily?
In the movie 'Let's Be Cops', two young men pretend to be cops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExciLtpHp74

"Honest men are the soft easy cushions on which knaves repose and fatten."
- Thomas Otway, Venice Preserved

"A lie does not consist in the indirect position of words, but in the desire and intention, by false speaking, to deceive and injure your neighbor."
- Jonathan Swift

"Me, I'm dishonest, and you can always trust a dishonest man to be dishonest. Honestly, it's the honest ones you have to watch out for."
- Johnny Depp

"There's one way to find out if a man is honest - ask him. If he says, 'Yes,' you know he is a crook."
 - Groucho Marx

Do you look to the zodiac signs to determine whether a person is honest?

How do you spot a liar? What are the signs of lying?

Here are seven tips from Carol Kinsey Gorman:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2013/05/20/7-tips-for-spotting-liars-at-work/

SongLesson:

"I like you the way you are,
When we're driving in your car
And you're talking to me one on one
But you become...
Somebody else 'round everyone else,
You're watching your back like you can't relax,
You're trying to be cool,
You look like a fool to me.
Tell me...
Why did you have to go and make things so complicated?
I see the way you're acting like you're somebody else,
Gets me frustrated."
- From the song 'Complicated' by Avril Lavigne

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPBIwQyPWE

Lots of people believe there is a connection between lying and avoiding eye contact. But this article states:
"We can identify some signs of stress and anxiety, but it would be unwise to call somebody a liar based only on the fact that he won't meet our gaze."
- http://www.study-body-language.com/avoiding-eye-contact.html#sthash.bIh7BlSE.dpbs

Is it always obvious when someone such as a friend is not telling the truth? Can you always tell when someone is lying?           
"No one can lie, no one can hide anything, when he looks directly into someone's eyes."
- Paulo Coelho

"It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one."
- George Washington

What should the husband tell his wife when she asks, "Do I look fat in this dress?"....

Don't say it...I've seen too many loves sundered by too much needless honesty.
-  Ken Kesey, Take My Advice

In the movie 'Mean Girls', secrets and lies caused chaos and confusion and cost friendships...

"There are consequences -- large and small -- to keeping and telling secrets, whether among friends or through Facebook or YouTube."
- Terri Briseno, How can a secret hurt me?,
http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/behavior/secret-hurt-me1.htm

Do you remember how Elle Woods' classmates treated her in the movie 'Legally Blonde'?

"I can always get along with an honest friend."
- Harry S Truman

What about actions that are like harsh words.....
"Actions speak louder than words."
- English proverb

"People who are brutally honest get more satisfaction out of the brutality than out of the honesty."
- Richard J. Needham

Do you think speaking your mind is a mistake?
"I speak my mind. If it offends some people, well, there's not much I can do about that. But I'm going to be honest. I'm going to continue to speak my mind, and that's who I am."
- Jesse Ventura

"Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger."
- Franklin P. Jones

To be honest or not to be honest, that is the question......

From the song 'An Innocent Man' by Billy Joel:

Some people say they will never believe
Another promise they hear in the dark,
Because they only remember too well
They heard somebody tell them before...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LN9AQTCnYyM

"A person should not be too honest. Straight trees are cut first and honest people are screwed first."
- Chanakya

People seem to tolerate and even support lying and dishonesty.

"It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit."
- Noel Coward, Blithe Spirit

"Lies get people into trouble, but honesty is its own defense."
- David Huddleston, Life's Little Spiritual Instruction Book

Do you remember this story about honesty and pride?
The Emperor's New Clothes
http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheEmperorsNewClothes_e.html

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave... when first we practice to deceive."
- Walter Scott, Marmion

"Where is the man who has the strength to be true, and to show himself as he is?
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Conversations of Goethe

"What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things."
- Margaret Meade

"To be honest as this world goes is to be one man picked out of ten thousand."
- William Shakespeare, Hamlet

"Honesty is as rare as a man without self-pity."
- Stephen Vincent Benet, attributed, The Harper Book of Quotations

"There is no such thing as a man willing to be honest, that would be like a blind man willing to see."
- F. Scott Fitzgerald

"Our great error is that we suppose mankind to be more honest than they are."
- Alexander Hamilton

Some people keep the truth a secret. Maybe a conspiracy.....

Song 'Secret Lovers' by Atlantic Starr
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2A3j0zWpTs0

In the movie 'Ransom', the father's lies and evil dealings led to problems for his family.

http://youtu.be/IWRzNMIzyE4

"The surest way to remain poor is to be an honest man."
- Napoleon Bonaparte

"Honesty pays, but it doesn't seem to pay enough to suit some people."
- F. M. Hubbard

"A lie comes back sooner or later."
- African Proverb

One reason for the peace of mind....

"The only way you can truly control how you're seen is by being honest all the time."
- Tom Hanks

"An honest man's pillow is his peace of mind."
- John Mellencamp

"Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind."
- B. C. Forbes

"Honesty is the rarest wealth anyone can possess, and yet all the honesty in the world ain't lawful tender for a loaf of bread."
- Josh Billings, attributed, The Modern Handook of Humor

"An honest man's word is as good as the king's.
- Portuguese Proverb

Everyone believes there are benefits to telling the truth, but those benefits may not be good enough for some.

"Honesty is the best policy."
- Proverb

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom."
- Thomas Jefferson

Did you know?
In the U.S., forcefully requiring a person to swear upon the Bible in the court oath is illegal.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_do_you_say_when_you_swear_on_the_Bible_in_court

Do you usually believe a statement if it is preceded or followed by 'I swear'?

From the song 'I Swear' by All4One:

I swear by the moon and the stars in the sky,
I'll be there,
I swear like the shadow that's by your side,
I'll be there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPqikml4W0A

"The plain truth is that honesty is critical to the moral fiber of every individual. Experts agree that people who are honest feel better about themselves. They are able to enjoy stronger friendships, are more successful in school and in other pursuits and, in the long run, have deeper, happier marriages. It is from honesty that so many other desirable traits spring forth."
- Betsy Brown Braun, You're Not the Boss of Me

"Successful people have cultivated the habit of never denying to themselves their true feelings and attitudes. They have no need for pretenses."
- David Harold Fink, Be Your Real Self

"A truth that's told told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."
- William Blake

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/lessonsproject/14852545880/in/set-72157646459166647/

"The naked truth is always better than the best dressed lie."
- Ann Landers

"Lying is done with words and also with silence."
- Adrienne Rich

"A half-truth is a whole lie."
- Yiddish Proverb

"There are six things the Lorf hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community."
- Holy Bible (NIV), Proverbs 6:16-19

"Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving."
- James E. Faust

From the song 'Honesty' by Billy Joel:

Honesty is such a lonely word,
Everyone is so untrue.
Honesty is hardly ever heard,
And mostly what I need from you.

http://youtu.be/SuFScoO4tb0

Happy Easter from LifeLessonsForAlldotcom!

"[H]iding how you really feel and trying to make everyone happy doesn't make you nice, it just makes you a liar."
- Jenny O'Connell, The Book of Luke

Do you tell the raw, naked truth? The truth hurts sometimes.....

"Let's tell the truth to people. When people ask, 'How are you?' have the nerve sometimes to answer truthfully. You must know, however, that people will start avoiding you because, they, too, have knees that pain them and heads that hurt and they don't want to know about yours. But think of it this way: If people avoid you, you will have more time to meditate and do fine research on a cure for whatever truly afflicts you."
- Maya Angelou, Letter to My Daughter

"The best men tell you the truth because they think you can take it; the worst men either try to preserve you in some innocent state with their false protection, or are 'brutally honest'. When someone tells, lets you think for yourself, experience your own emotions, he is treating you as a true equal, a friend... And the best men cook for you."
- Whitney Otto, How to Make an American Quilt

"Nothing in this world is harder than speaking the truth, nothing easier than flattery."
- Fyodor Dostoyevsky

"Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people."
- Spencer Johnson

"Nearly any adult will tell you that lying is wrong. But when it comes to avoiding trouble, saving face in front of the boss, or sparing someone's feelings, many people find themselves doing it anyway."
- Jenna McCarthy, The Truth About Lying,
http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/truth-about-lying-00000000012669/index.html

Theme for the week 4/5 - 4/11: Honesty.