Achieving Transparence in One’s Life

Transparency can take place in many forms, you might be striving for transparency in your life, or you might find it already manifested in those around you! Wikipedia defines it as:

Wikipedia: In the field of optics, transparency is the physical property of allowing light to pass through a material; translucency only allows light to pass through diffusely. The opposite property is opacity. Transparent materials are clear, while translucent ones cannot be seen through clearly.

By this definition we can see that one might be thought of as transparent if they convey exactly what they see without any distortion. However this might be easier said then done, simply because each living person on this earth has a perspective based on their past experiences, values, and beliefs. So how does one reflect back that which they see correctly? Many people are translucent, which means that they only convey information which is convenient to them. An example might be a used car salesman, or a stockbroker, who might only tell you the information that you want to hear in order to retain your business or make the sale. Instead of being completely honest, they refract the truth (picture).

COUNT ORLOFF – The Transparent Man

While during his career Orloff was known as an ossified man, his condition was actually quite the opposite. Orloff actually had a lack of bone density and this allowed his bones to bend and twist. Furthermore, his skin was paper thin and his musculature so atrophied that – with the aid of a bright spotlight – spectators could actually see the blood coursing through his veins. Not only that, but when a bright light was placed behind Orloff, the warm glow could actually been seen from the other side

Orloff is an example of a man taking transparency in the literal sense. He was actually transparent and people could see through him. Now the problem with this in the absolute sense, is that people might see right through you and not take you seriously. So transparence without conviction is as good as a basket without a bottom. It does not hold any weight. You have to be convicted in your beliefs and opinions without changing other people’s reflections in favor of your beliefs. Simply put, when you are speaking to someone you have to hold their interests equal to yours. I have found this difficult in our dualistic world. It is difficult not to weigh out the possibilities with your rational mind, thus establishing a foundational train of thought.

“If you want to find out what a big obstacle the ego really is, try to come together with other people in genuine transparency. Transparency means radical authenticity, free from ego defenses and impure motives. It’s the ultimate challenge to the ego. You could sit on a meditation cushion until you dropped dead and never have your capacity for radical transparency tested. The real test, for all of us, is in relationship. Come together. When there’s radical transparency and the ego steps aside, each single individual in that extraordinary collective context has access to the power and depth and clarity of the enlightened mind. And that’s when enlightenment really starts to take on new meaning and significance for us all.”

Andrew Cohen
London, March 2004

If you contemplate the quote above, you will find that one of the only true transparent experiences is with your lover and partner. This is because in an intimate relationship you have completely let down your guard and surrendered your ego to your lover, both in passion and in logic (hopefully, we want to be in love more than we want to be right). If you are not participating in a relationship, you do not have the unique chance to see yourself as you really appear. Everyone should have this experience. Now you might find that not everyone is completely authentic in their relationships and this is because they are trying to save face. Saving face might create a great charade for your neighbors and relatives, but authenticity and surrender only comes with true honesty to yourself and to your lover. In a relationship such as the one I have described, you will learn the most about yourself, through this reflection. It is as if your ego separates and becomes your partner. When you do not have complete control of your ego and the outcome, all bets are off and as you spin in a nebula, you find out that you only have your deepest values and childhood experiences to rely on in order to decipher the right decision. It is important to use your conscious mind (logic) to create a blueprint of your relationship and learn emotionally from your upturns and downfalls.

Below is a blog which gets a bit more into the ego. I highly recommend that you read it! They suggest writing down the qualities that make you not transparent in your life! I would like to amend that by saying that it is a smart idea to figure out where you stand value wise and in what order your values fall. When I first did this two years ago in an Anthony Robbins, Date with Destiny course, it was a life changing experience to understand how I made my decisions in life. If you have more questions on this process feel free to leave a comment or contact me. I should note this works because each person unconsciously creates a blueprint of their experiences in their mind and in this process they create their perspective and personality. As time goes on and they add new experiences and information, old habits become reinforced and new ones created. However if you are unconscious to this process you will not have the critical knowledge to program yourself in a smart way. Like a computer programmer writing random sequences of code, without structure.

Coaching with the Heart

Last, is a clip from Obama and his speech on transparency. Obama is a unique fellow and I would say that he has demonstrated a great deal of transparency so far in his presidency, especially for a politician!