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Discussion on: Is honesty always the best policy?

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Ben Halpern

Of course, it depends. Outright lying about a thing? Probably not the right call. But this conversation perhaps applies to areas where there's no such thing as absolute truth.

Questions where you might feel a way and act out of accordance with how you're feeling:

  • "Are you worried about X?" You might be really worried but expressing this may only cause further panic depending on who's asking.
  • "Did I do a good job with this?" Maybe you think ABSOLUTELY NOT, but saying it bluntly might not be good for anybody and you may have to find a more delicate way to say it, even if it's not "the truth". But "the truth" is really "your truth in the moment". Once you settle down, it might be different.

There's room in between lying and not thinking very carefully about how to communicate, and that's where you want to live. I don't always do a good job of navigating when to be blunt and when to be measured.