The Ultimate Betrayal

I am happy to debate this, but isn’t the ultimate betrayal the loss of ones own moral compass. The loss of the soul. The transaction, the action, the ideaology that is the departure from the path of being a good and decent person? This should not be a moving target. If we are placed in a situation of moral dilemma, the driving question we should ask ourselves is, “Will the action we take cause harm to myself or others?” We should be comfortable, at the end of each day that we behaved in each interaction with authenticity and without manipulation from an outside force. We should be able to rest our head on our pillow at night with great confidence that we navigated the day with integrity, clinging to the belief that being true to oneself is the ultimate loyalty to self. If not, we should make amends to those that we may have harmed with words or actions. We wipe the slate clean with accountability and apology. I suppose it is contingent upon one’s interpretation of harm. Most importantly, the bar that allows us to continue said action until we lose respect for ourselves. That is as low as anyone can go: losing respect for oneself. This tips into a dark and compromising space called shame.

Shame can manifest itself in many ways. When we abandon ourselves the shame comes out sideways. We lose perspective, our empathy and compassion wane. Losing respect for oneself leads us to a lack of respect for others. Shame is excruciatingly painful, ugly and subversive. It manifests in a myriad of self destructive ways. It radiates out from the rotting soul of disrespect for the self. Shame often manifests as anger, aggression, or perfectionism as individuals attempt to cope with or mask their feelings. Shame is supremely toxic. Sound familiar. Sadly, we are seeing it everywhere. We need to claw ourselves back to a place where we can teach our upcoming generations what it means to be a good and decent person. Where shame has no place. Where ultimatums don’t exist as a tool of manipulation and control. There is a healthy ultimatum: find your soul and hold onto it with all the reserves you have.

In the end, it is only YOU. Do you feel good about following your true path or are you going to follow someone else’s? Are you able to think and speak freely among those that you choose to surround yourself? Are you able to debate issues in a healthy and respectful manner? Betrayal of self is choosing belonging and acceptance over honesty and authenticity.

In the words of Thom Tillis “Independent thinking is becoming an endangered species.” Let’s seek the preservation of independent thinking, respect and a society that divorces rhetoric that reeks of manipulation and power grabbing.