One of my younger ones has been  thinking about honesty.  Or, according to her, honesty.

She has been mulling why people, including her, tell lies.  She was telling me her thoughts.

While she talked I wondered what a world where everyone said what they were thinking would be like.

We tend to think of it as a world of unflinching, brutal honesty.  But it wouldn’t be.  Not even close.

A true world of honesty would be a world where everyone said what they thought, and what they thought was true.

We tell ourselves that all the little white lies, the little polite kindnesses, are to protect others from hearing unpleasant truths.  They really are to protect ourselves.  If we did not conceal our thoughts, everyone would know how negative and petty and grudging, how malicious and small, how indifferent to favors and good things, how ready to take anything noteworthy for granted, we are.

We lie about what we think so that the lie of what we are thinking will not be revealed.

Don’t try to communicate your views.  Try to be honest.