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Can one be sincere?

Hypocrisy is necessary to effectively play the game of alliancesthe game of alliances.
Conversely, sincerity is necessary to establisha constructive relationship based onthe facts.

Consequently:

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if one's objective is to succeed in life, then hypocrisy is a fundamental tool.

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if one's objective is to succeed in one's life, then establishing constructive, and therefore sincere, relationships is the goal.

Now, if one's objective is to succeed in one's life, and one is confronted with someone who practices hypocrisy, should one practice it in return or not?
The right approach seems to be the following, even if, being a particular personality, I am myself incapable of applying it:
When approaching a new person, begin by respecting the social conventions of the environment. This very concretely means starting by approaching them hidden behind their social mask.
Then, seek through exchange the clues that allow one to determine whether a shift toward sincerity is possible with that person, and to what extent. The 'to what extent' depends on their beliefs (which oppose the consideration of facts).
The higher the level of possible sincerity, the more one is dealing with a person with whom one can build a constructive relationship, one that allows one to feel secure in life, to succeed in one's life. The lower the level of possible sincerity, the more one is dealing with a person with whom one can only play the game of alliances, effective for succeeding in life, but fickle, generating anxiety, and humanly unsatisfying due to the long-term effects of cognitive dissonance.

Quote

Confucius, The Analects, 1.3: 'One who, by studied discourse and a composed exterior, seeks to please men, ruins his natural virtues.'

Elaborate

Refer to the question 'How to succeed in one's life?' to clearly understand the distinction between succeeding in life and succeeding in one's life, then 'What is difficult to overcome to succeed in one's life?' to better understand the specific problem related to sincerity.
Sincerity is also the key element for defining the foundations of the partnership one forms. On this subject, consult the question 'What is a good spouse?'.

 

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