WE FILTER OUR VISION OF OTHERS THROUGH THE SELF-JUSTIFYING IMAGES WE HAVE CREATED. CONSEQUENTLY, WE AWAKEN THE ILLS OF SELF-DECEPTION IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS
When we think or act contrary to our deeply-held compassionate, wholesome, and right human values, we betray ourselves. In that situation, we tend to think up inflated self-justifying images like, “I’m a considerate and knowledgeable leader,” “I’m a very hardworking employee, “I’m a very kind and loyal wife. We nail ourselves to the illusion of self-deception as long as we continue to promote those inflated images. Oftentimes, we carry these self-justifying images into a new situation or interaction. Resistance and lack of cooperation and commitment from others, often rear up as the ills of self-deception.
We filter our vision of others through the self-justifying images we have created. If the behaviour of others validates the claims made by our self-justifying image, we see them as allies; if they do not, we see them as enemies, and if they are indifferent to us, we see them as unimportant. In all the scenarios, we are merely treating people as objects, because we have not bothered to respect their feelings.
If you promote the following inflated self-justifying image: I’m the sort of person who thinks of others.” You are actually thinking and focusing on yourself, not on others, as you get up the thought in your mind.
As a leader, you can deceive yourself by highlighting this self-justifying image: “I know everything.” In this case, you will tend to undermine any new idea presented to you by your subordinates. This singular attitude will actually prevent you from expanding your knowledge base. Your self-justifying image indeed lies to you. You are actually focused on how you look before your subordinates, not on acquiring knowledge.
When we are condemning, critical, defensive or angry, they are sure signs that we have betrayed and taken ourselves through into the illusion of self-deception. In the above scenarios, the ills of self-deception will follow closely on our heels.
