Third Eye Views

This above all: to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
  Thou canst not then be false to any man.
    Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

–William Shakespeare (Hamlet Act 1, Scene 3, 78-81)

In the play Hamlet, the famous line To thine own self be true, is Polonius’ last piece of advice to his son Laertes who is in a hurry to get on the next boat to Paris, where he can finally get away from his father’s long-winded speeches.  If you’ve read the play,  you know that Polonius is speaking of something much more than the New Age self-knowledge which the phrase now suggests. As Polonius sees it, borrowing money, loaning money, carousing with those of dubious character and other immoderate pursuits, will allow one to be false to thy self. In my opinion, by being false, Polonius seems to mean to be disadvantageous or detrimental to your image; by being true, he means to be loyal to your own best interests. Take care of yourself first, he counsels, and that way you’ll be in a position to take care of others. As we all know, there is much wisdom in the father’s warning to his son.

This wisdom is something that we should all begin to strive for and live by.  It makes for better relationships, friendships and above all else, character.  To give falsely or to take falsely, is to live falsely! To live falsely is not only a disservice to yourself, but it is a profound disservice to your spirit.  It’s a disservice to those who care for you, to those who depend on you, to those who confide in you and to those who are in a position to help you (i.e. your clique).  It is a total disservice to your entire reason of being.  We were not created in the false image of our Creator; we were created in the true image of our Creator.

So on this Valentine’s Day, let us start by being true to our own self.  On this special day of Love, the greatest gift we can give or take, is the gift of truth and honesty to self.  It is only then that we will be able to shine truth on others.  And like you, I have plenty of work ahead of me:-)