When In Doubt

TODAY'S QUOTE:
"When in doubt, tell the truth.".... Mark Twain

The truth will set you free. But lies will always tangle you up in tight little knots. Which is the choice of the wisest among us, no matter what the issue? The simple fact is that even a brutal truth is much better than any lie ever spoken. Lying is not one of my bad habits... and I do have my fair share. Telling one feels completely unnatural... hearing one is often painful... and living one almost stole my lifetime for no good cause.

I do not deal well with lies... and I do not deal with liars at all once they show their true colors. One falsehood serves as fair warning, the second is a certain ending of whatever could have been. Dealing with reality demands my full attention, coping with the truth simply takes all the strength I can muster. Bull-shit stinks plenty bad enough without me stirring it up, trying to find a thread of fact among a mountain of fabrications.

Even a white lie can have repercussions we never considered when we were spinning it inside our heads. Out of misplaced kindness we often do others a real disservice. If I ask you if I look fat in something and I do, please tell the truth. If you allow me to look foolish what kind of favor are you granting.

Just because it is an unpleasant truth does not mean it has to be said with the force of a sledge hammer. Even negatives can be voiced in a positive fashion that benefits everyone involved. Blunting the tip so it is not able to fatally pierce someone's heart is one thing, twisting it out of focus completely is a real injustice.
People sometimes mark their maps or change direction because of things said by people they love or respect. How respectable and loving is it to lie? Being the reason someone else becomes lost in a land of fantasy is criminal. I have been a victim of that more than once and I do not praise the people who misled me.

Tell the truth. Demand it from others. Voice it gently. Hear it fairly. Be strong enough to do both well and the total trust of your peers will be your certain reward. And as always.... think about it.... let it ride.... then decide!!!!