A man sets up a booth at a fair. He then places an ordinary rock upon his table and hangs a banner behind him that reads:

Onlookers gather around the mysterious salesman and soon one approaches him and asks, “How do I know these rocks really attract wealth?”

“Sincerity makes the very least person to be of more value than the most talented hypocrite.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon, 19th Century Baptist Preacher

“Faithfulness and sincerity are the highest things.” – Confucius

“There is no greater delight than to be conscious of sincerity on self-examination.” – Mencius

There is little doubt that sincerity is one of the most prized qualities one can possess. We esteem those who are sincere and ridicule those who aren’t. We demand it of those we deal with and believe ourselves to possess it at all times. Yes, sincerity is held in high regard.

But something very terrible has happened to the idea of sincerity. It has become worse than meaningless. It has become poisonous. And to make matters worse, few recognize this fact. How do I know this? Here’s how:

My cat loves to sleep on my chest. She’ll stay there for hours unless I put my hands on her as if I’m holding her down. If I do that, she’ll growl, squirm and eventually leave.

My son will be starting high school next year at his favorite school in our city. I recently asked him where a friend of his would be going to school. He said she lived on the border between two districts and could choose between two different schools. Then he said, “I wish I had a choice.”

Want to get better at something? You need to know the secrets. Want to succeed in business as fast as possible? You need to know the secrets. Want to simply be happier or have more fulfilling relationships? Well, you need to know the secrets. And luckily there are plenty of people who are willing to share them with you – for a price. And even better, these people will even discover more secrets for you once you’ve grown tired of the first ones. And should you tire of the new ones? There are always more where those came from.

Years ago, when I was at a complete loss about what to do with my life, I asked a friend for some advice. He had pulled himself out of some horrible life circumstances and had become quite successful, both in his business and personal life so I was curious what he might suggest. He gave it some thought, then asked if I got sick easily. When I assured him that I didn’t, he replied: