brainsparks
telling the truth
Wed, November 29, 2006 - 6:57 PM
I won't. What I will do is examine the phenomenon of telling the truth with greater scrutiny than usual, to see if we can't gain some clarity on situations in which honesty crashes us into a wall unexpectedly."
For more, check out "scratches and whistles" at jeffharmon.blogspot.com/
Wed, November 29, 2006 - 6:57 PM -
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Thu, November 30, 2006 - 10:34 AM
I like what you have to say here, Jeff. I've been thinking about this lately myself. I have a friend whose policy is "brutal honesty." And I got to thinking, honesty does not have to be brutal, even when you know the other person will not like what you have to say. Diplomacy, or what psychologists call "social intelligence" is the art of being able to say what you mean in a way least likely to piss people off. It's a virtue, a form of maturity that allows one to see that even when you really want to rip someone a new asshole, there is usually another way to present your viewpoint that both lets them know that you're not okay with something, and leads to a better outcome in the end. Like you said, telling someone everything on your mind is not a prerequisite for honesty, and sometimes it only serves to escalate a bad situation.
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Thu, December 7, 2006 - 7:58 PM
thanks!
thanks geoff, this is really delicate material, because the world is so full of bullshit, and we all want to tear it down, so i'm coming from a place of anti-bullshit, but tenderness, empathy, and realism. thanks for your support!
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Fri, December 29, 2006 - 2:28 PM
Ah, but honesty comes in so many forms.
Sometimes when one is honest but says something in an angry or harsh tone it is not always evident that that person is suffering, all we tend to see is who got attacked. And when one apologizes after sometimes the honesty of that feeling is not accepted so easily. I honestly wish you the best in 2007! Happy New Year! Many Blessings. Andrew |
