Is being sincere difficult?

We love sincere people. We also love to be known as sincere people. But the big question is how sincere can we be with friends and people around us? Sincerity is generally understood to be truth in word and action. When one does what he says or preaches, he/she is considered to be a sincere person. But when one does something totally different from what he says, he is basically considered a liar.

Agnes Musa, 30-year-old undergraduate, narrates “I have been disappointed severally by people I hold in high esteem in life. How difficult is it for people to be sincere in a relationship, whether cordial or otherwise. Lies and hypocrisy seems to be the order of the day.  I surrounded myself with insincere people and today I am paying dearly for it.”

Aisha Musa, 37-year-old postgraduate student, says “It is difficult to find sincere people in our society today. Most times people tell you just what you want to hear, especially when they desire something from you. As a person, I have very few friends and keep my circle small; this is because I have had my unfair share of hypocrites in life.

Ada Blessing Charles, 39-year-old post graduate student, also agrees with her course mate as she says “Most people are superficial in their dealings and relationship with people. It seems to be the norm these days, you hardly find people who are sincere with you, even among traders in the market.

For Amina Sule, 40-year-old teacher, she says “Most people who tend to lack sincerity have double standards in life and this is so because they desire to have the best of the both lives they are playing and acting towards people.

Not being sincere, which also amounts to hypocrisy, is one habit that has been preached against in the Holy books of both the Muslim and Christian religions. Both faiths are against it.

The dictionary defines a hypocrite as someone who “pretends to be better than he really is or to be pious, virtuous without really being so. It also defines a hypocrite as someone who says one thing and does the opposite, there are three signs of a hypocrite, whenever he speaks, he lies, whenever he promises he fails and whenever he is entrusted with something he betrays the trust. All these are believed to be traits of insincerity, which many are fond of.

A very simple way to stop being hypocritical and start being sincere is simply by deciding to tell it as it is, keep to promises,  and try to gain and keep the trust that others have in you. All you need is to have the will power to overcome such negative traits to be a better person to your friends and people around you.

It’s never too late to learn the act of sincerity. As being sincere has a way of making life better for us one way or the other.