Somewhere between kids being ruthlessly honest and where we are now, the honesty quietly slithered away. Kids say the most interesting, sometimes hurtful, things and there’s some good to that. This quality that many people lose while leaving behind childhood is a lot of what is wrong with us “grown-ups”.
Not to say that we should walk around telling people who didn’t ask that their hair looks bad, or that they are weird, or that we don’t like the clothes they wear. However, when did we lose the truthful answers when we are posed with a question? All too often these little white lies slip out until it becomes a lifestyle. So many adults are incredibly terrified to hurt someone else’s feelings. Sometimes, we all need a little bit of tough love in the form of genuine responses. Yes, even if it is not at all something we are happy with hearing.
Know in your heart that being a person who is true, honest, and genuine with others is being a person that will make our society one step closer to being a better place. Why is it so hard to just adopt a “You hurt my feelings, let’s talk about it” mentality? Why is it that more and more seldom you can find a person who is just not afraid of being real? Not to mention how much healthier of a lifestyle this is! Those who have less to hide from others have less to keep bottled up inside, and this can make a world of a difference.
Social media and the online world altogether have really encouraged this mindset. We all seem to become so comfortable with being fake in our online interactions that it can carry over into daily life. Think of someone who has numerous “likes” on a post and get a few negative comments, the negative comments are often too much for everyone to stomach. When I say negative, I’m not talking about people being mean just for the fun of it. The truth is that there is a fine line between brutal honesty and just being brutal. It is important to find the balance, and do our part to make this world a more genuine place.
It makes me wonder if anyone even wants the truth anymore. Are we so afraid of getting hurt that all we can handle is what we want to hear? I don’t believe that is all we are capable of. I refuse to settle for the idea that we can’t all come together to be stronger than that.
HCXO!