The Responsibility Of Truth

I have a responsibility to be honest with people. And fair.

Many of the problems in this world stem from people having idealistic expectations, because of what they are taught as children, told by other people and read, or see in magazines, on television, or the computer.

Human beings have a relatively long childhood because we have so much to learn and we are programmed to learn from other humans.

I grew up with almost no sense of how I really feel. In our family it was considered weak and wrong to let anything stop us, or get us down. One of my mother’s favorite phrases was, “No one ever really feels good, you just get up and go anyway.” My grandmother used to say, “If someone asks how you feel, say fine and smile. No one really cares anyway.” They meant well.

Consequently, though, I am never really sure if I am sick enough to go to bed, or get help. I honestly don’t know. One time I was sure and that was the night before I agreed to a hysterectomy. I knew that nothing could hurt more than I did in that moment, even if they operated on me awake! That’s pretty extreme.

Hiding behind pretend feelings in order to look good never really works in the long run anyway. Eventually there are repercussions that could probably have been avoided, or at least dealt with much more productively in the beginning.

Sharing true thoughts and feelings is not for the faint hearted, nor should it be done without any thought for the consequences. It is kind of like when the dog lies down at my feet, belly up. He’s counting on me not stomping on his tummy. Be sure you know whose feet you are lying in front of.

How I express myself is much more important than what I am thinking. Learning to express thoughts and feelings honestly, rationally and with care and to act on them sensibly and humanely is very important. I want to show those I care about that it is right to know my own true feelings and not wrong to feel them, but I am responsible for the way I respond to them.