Lying to someone you love can be devastating and can undermine their trust in you for a very long time, once the lie is uncovered. So today, a question for you: On a personal level, how do you feel about this whole business of lying? Would you prefer that those around you keep unpleasant truths from you? Or, would you prefer to know the truth, no matter what? (Your answer reveals quite a bit about how you see yourself.)
Once you have answers to these previous questions, then how would you like the truth told to you? Brutally, with no regard for your feelings? Or tactfully, with a gesture of affection and a few softening words, such as, “Remember, we said we’d be honest with each other, so here goes,” or “I’m no expert, but here’s what I think.”
The truth doesn’t have to hurt if it’s offered with a loving spirit. What hurts is feeling that we have to wear a mask over our true thoughts and emotions. This masking becomes a lie in itself, and we become less than who we really are. If we want our relationships to flourish and grow, compassionate honesty and truth must be our ultimate goals.
Sure, we will fall from the truth from time to time. We are only human. But we want to put aside the idea that deception of those closest to us is something we do for their own, or our own, good. Hiding the truth leads to living a life of lies, as each lie inevitably requires another, and another, and another. That’s a lot of work, and a lot of energy spent maintaining a web of lies that will inevitably fail from the weight of trying to keep it all straight. It’s a false foundation upon which to build a life.
There is a lot of discussion these days about truths and falsehoods, both accidental and intentional. It is the lies in relationships, not the truths, that hurt and damage. It is the truth that heals, whether in our personal relationships or within our teams or organizations, even our nations.
Featured posts
May 16, 2023
May 16, 2023
May 16, 2023
