The word honesty comes from the Latin honestas meaning an honor received from others, a kind of “standing in honor” before others (honor + stas (to stand)). It’s interesting that most people are willing to be a little phony in order to get vague appreciation or to be thought well of. (The whole cosmetics industry is based on this.) But when one is actually “honored” in a formal way by others, there is an elevated sense that we need to truthfully deserve the honor. And thus honor calls forth honesty.
A similar concept is sincerity. The word sincerity comes from the Latin as well: sine (without) + cera (wax). It seems that sculptors in the ancient world often used a hard, resin-like wax to hide their errors. But every now and then there was the perfect carving, with no wax needed, nothing phony about it, no cover-ups.
I thought about these words as I saw this commercial. In the ad, the “honor” of engagement draws forth honesty and sincerity. The honesty of one person brings forth the honesty of the other and they both end up more relaxed.
That’s funny. Chess players occasionally speculate if the previous world chess champion, from India, Viswanathan Anand, has begun wearing a hair piece. One can google his name and decide for himself.
That commerci reminds me of how Adam and Eve were naked before God and each other. Once they sinned, they covered up. Sin caused them to no longer be transparent. In our relationships, with God and each other, we often hide critical peices of ourselves which truncates our ability to love and be loved. It is in that transparency where the fullness of God’s love exists for us. It is in that transparency where married love flourishes. When we hold back from our spouse, our love is abbreviated for the one person whom we promised ourself to. Our inability to face our fear of rejection in marriage leads us directly to the doorstep of it.
This is why we MUST keep God front and center in our marriages, because every time we put God before us in what we do we succeed, no matter how lopsided the odds or how scared we feel.
Ha! Well, at least at the end they were still together and laughing. Maybe looks attract, but I guess when you come to love the person, looks become secondary.