A short YouTube monologue (by Mark Hamilton) arguing that genuine honesty shows when a person does not care about other people’s opinions. The speaker cites Lao Tzu’s idea that caring about others’ judgments makes you their prisoner and contrasts people who soften their words to please others with those who speak their minds.
Here's how you know somebody is honest. And this is a simple observation that goes back to the famous philosopher Lao Tzu, who said, care about what other people think, and you will always be their prisoner. And what that means is when someone cares too much about what others think, saying truly genuine becomes difficult. They might hold back what they really believe, soften their words, or even say what people want to hear, just to avoid conflict. Compare that to to the person who speaks their mind, someone who doesn't overthink how their words will be received, someone who does not try to shape how others perceive them. And so if you want to know if someone is honest, look for the person who does not care about what you think about them.
