Pujit Aggarwal Redivivus - Sincerity

 

Among all the moral qualities our parents, teachers, and scriptures inculcate in us is sincerity. It is not employed as frequently as it used to be in the good old days. There may be a small chapter in the unopened handbook of business ethics wherein it is explained and recommended with caution and tact. When practised and promoted without finesse in the corporate transactions, or practical give-and-take, it can lead to underachievement, even disappointment.

In a loose sense, we can equate it with honesty and frankness: easy to preach but hard to practise. No wonder scriptures invariably prefer words like truthfulness, verity or variants that are loaded with figurative and allegorical freight. A rather well-known saying from the founder of one of the three Abrahamic religions states: “Render unto the labourer his wages before the sweat on his brow becomes dry”. Simplified into the common man's lingo, it means: pay now not later. Discharge your liabilities on time.

According to the lexicon, sincerity denotes being free from pretence or deceit, being the same in real life as in semblance or profession, not assuming a posture or putting it on; being genuine, honest, frank. This definition is mentioned from an accredited dictionary published in the mid-thirties. Making allowance for a decade or so it must have been under preparation, the lexicographers have done a neat job in defining the word---even at the cost of conciseness.

Modern dictionaries give a shorter and compact definition without resorting to simplism. Its etymon is the Latin root sincerus that signifies--- clean, pure, genuine, honest. The original acceptance has become archaic, but its aroma persists even today, despite the discordant polyphony of the digital megaphone. A sincere transaction is governed by guilelessness. It is not vitiated by simulation or dissimulation.

It is hardly possible for the seed of this sensitive plant to germinate and thrive in the rough and tumble of diplomacy and geopolitics. Either it shrinks or withers away in the harsh climate of covert vested interests in foreign policy and international trade. The genocide of Jews, Armenians, Rwanda tribals and Bosnians, exemplifies how quickly it dies, giving way to the incursions of agenda-driven mediations, peace efforts, and rescue operations initiated by nations with an ill-concealed axe to grind.
Sincerity is in its elements in deeply personal relationships. Faith, trust, friendship, charity, compassion, conduct, prayer, and above all love between man and woman, constitute the small change of peace and harmony. When adulterated by the expediency of inequity, chicanery, and disingenuousness, it degenerates into a nostrum with gimcrack efficacy.

Insert an ad in the WANTED columns for a ‘profoundly sincere’ salesman, PR spinmeister, advertiser, or lawyer. A few neatly drafted applications will trickle in, despite the deterrent of the two-word adjective qualifying the noun. Having interviewed and vetted the short list of applicants, you select the one who impressively fulfilled all the criteria for eligibility.

This multi talented executive is going to transform your company. He promises to put you on the list of the Fortune 500. Condescending to accept your lucrative offer, he congratulates you on your canny acumen and judgement. As he strides out of the elegant chamber without any clip-clop of his shoes, you suddenly notice with a shock that his feet are inverted.


How does he propel himself forward with heels in front, and ten toes behind?

 


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