If self honesty is so important , then why do people so grossly self deceive all their lives ?

Question

.and completely destroy their lives in doing so

Answer 1

It is so difficult to see yourself. I remember a time when I used a phrase in almost everything that I said. Did not know it until someone said something. I was able to see that I said it and stop completely over a period of time. Psychologists make a living on trying to get people to see themselves. Even when we can see ourself, we often do not want to accept it. So self honesty is not easy.

Answer 2

True Self-ishness always leads to joy, because it
is motivated always by the desire to feel as good
as possible. It is only when we are Self-ish
enough to be, do and act in accordance with our
desires (not someone else’s) that it is possible
to stay balanced. Energetically speaking, a desire
is a rush of life force energy, a connection to
the divine inner self, which can never result in
actions that are harmful. It is only when true
desires are blocked that they become twisted and
ugly. This statement goes against the common
wisdom that human nature is greedy, violent and
primitive. Human nature is precisely the opposite:
we are born knowing ourselves as powerful,
eternal, spiritual beings. Petty, competitive,
churlish and violent behavior must be overcome
with suitable practice. Observe your family,
friends and coworkers. Almost all of them are good
people, trying to do the best they can. It would
simply not be possible to build a sophisticated
society if human nature was so base. All
successful societies are based upon cooperation,
not competition. Competition works not because it
is adversarial, but because it inspires teamwork.
Ask two angry guys to get something constructive
done, it is not going to happen. All success is
based upon cooperation. That is because we live in
an attraction based universe.

These natural impulses are supposed to be
dangerous because they stem from a primitive
survival instinct. But human being has a better
mind than animals. Just look around at the mess
the world is in! But that is a delusional
assertion, a denial of the basic nature of
consciousness itself. The natural impulses of
human nature stem from a connection to life force,
and it is resistance to this divine impulse which
causes the selfish behavior people object to.

If you observe people you will quickly see that
those persons who are most alive are full of
desire, and those who look lifeless have little or
no desire. Desire = life force. Shut off desire =
selfish behavior. It's ironic that selfish
behavior actually results from self-denial.

Human nature is not a primitive, biological
instinct based on survival of the fittest, it’s a
pure connection to source energy. It is divine.
It's only when that connection is closed off that
selfish behavior is demonstrated. Every one of
your desires is, in its non-resisted state, joyful
and balanced, because that is an inherent property
of consciousness itself. True selfishness is
allowance of desire, without resistance, and
results in the impulse to give freely to others.
But it is first necessary to allow that impulse
within yourself.

http://kjmaclean.com/Selfishness.html

Answer 3

A lot of people deceive themselves because they don't want to stop doing things they think bring them pleasure. If they admit that it is wrong they would have to stop so they lie to themselves. But as you pointed out this self deception only leads to misery. Is like someone running on a treadmill they don't stop moving yet they don't go anywhere, and at the end they get tired and stop but they are at the same old place. Their only hope is for someone to come and push them off the thing, great tragedy or great friends can sometimes do so.

Answer 4

Because people are full of pride and they want to be right all the time. When it comes to changing one's mind, actions and habits, people are very defensive, equating mistake with worthlessness, they are afraid to be humiliated before their peers so they refuse to admit being mistaken. Also even when they know they're wrong they don't have the courage to change.

Self deception allows them to maintain the status-quo until the situation has deteriorated so badly they cannot avoid a catastrophe.

Answer 5

Self honesty may not be as important to some people as it is to others. There are many things that define us and even that, is subject to change.

Answer 6

anyone who is looking for a real 'Kick A_ss' answer to this question should try and read Sartre's Being and Nothingness. I think he discusses about bad faith, which is something equivalent to the idea of self-deception.

By the way i haven't actually read the book myself.

Answer 7

There are many things in life that are important, and it is precisely those things that are ignored by people, either purposefully or inadvertently.

Answer 8

I think society sucks them in to a point where what matters most is an image.