Veritas: Truth Across Cultures is a book I compiled. It identifies common sayings/proverbs that have been independently discovered across cultures that I call Truths. It is my proposition that, due to our human nature and environment that common patterns recur, and cultures document these through their sayings. For instance, this Truth below:
This is a pattern that independent cultures have identified and documented that we tend to become like our associates. This is a pattern I already knew. What follows are patterns/Truths that I didn’t identify or acknowledge previously.
People confuse kindness for weakness - I knew it was a thing, but I didn’t know it was this widespread. This is one of the Truths that has me updating my belief system. Boundaries are necessary because it’s human nature to take advantage of a situation. One can’t rely on others being considerate. But do like the Persians: “Do not be so sweet that you are swallowed up, nor so bitter that you are spit out.” It is something that requires balance.
Easy sell - As the former President of Antigua and Barbuda Chess Federation, I had identified that Chess was an easy sell for me. What I mean by an easy sell is that it was easy for me to invite people to join the federation, enlist help from others, and charge others for services. Fundamentally, I believe that it is a net positive for anyone engaging in the federation’s activities; I was making people’s lives better. It is similar with Veritas; knowledge of these Truths will lead to people conducting their lives more wisely. At a minimum, they will be saving time on compiling the sayings.
3. Change is Hard - All the preceding Truths are based on habits. They all point out that once a habit has been set, it is hard to change. It makes sense. It has been estimated that human behaviour is 40%-50% habitual. Without these habitual behaviours, we wouldn’t be able to document them in Veritas, and choose how to move intentionally. Maybe the relevant question emerging from Veritas is what habits do I need to build for my long-term prosperity?
4. Leadership Isolates - This is something I knew through experience, but I hadn’t realised that it wasn’t just me; it was universal. It is a point to note if I keep going down this path of being in situations of leadership, isolation is something I would need to address. It wasn’t a one-off thing; it is something that is structurally built in.
If you’re interested in reading Veritas, you can purchase it here. And, if you do decide to purchase it, please leave a review along with a Truth that resonated with you.