VIR-I-0052
“People believed a flattering version of events and I corrected it.”
The false version made you look better, and no one was going to challenge it. You corrected it anyway, knowing the true story dims your shine a little. That is the test almost everyone fails quietly. Choosing the smaller, true story over the bigger, false one is exactly what integrity costs and what it's worth.
Your Practice
- Say plainly what actually happened, even the part that makes you smaller.
- Notice you gave up admiration you could have kept. That's the price of a clean name.
- Tell whoever spread the flattering version the accurate one, directly.
- Trust that being known as truthful outlasts being known as impressive.
The Architects
“The most beautiful thing in the world is freedom of speech.”
Diogenes, Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers VI.69 (Hicks translation)