Honesty - Is it always a good thing?

[Tank]

Is it possible to be too honest?

[Skyryder]

Is it possible to be too honest?

Yes. Then it becomes rude.


Skyryder

[Subike]

If you are representing that as being honest, then you have a poor idea of what honesty is.
Honesty is not abuse, Honesty is not releasing YOUR personal attack upon another person based upon YOUR asumptions of whot or who that person is,
Your example is exactly that, abuse, not honesty.
Honesty when given in truth will always be the best thing to do. It cannot be tripped up, it does not hide behind fear, it does not need Greed as a partner, neither does it exist in paralell with hate.
Honesty will get you out of more difficult situations than lies, no mater how bad the situation may seem.
Honesty needs to be exerscised with wisdom, patience and a mind that is not befuddled with any negative crap like hate, vengence or racisism.
Honesty is a strength of personality that will take you a very long way in life,
as opposed to decieit, which will trip you up no matter haw clever you are.

Now all I need to find is a spell checker lol

[The Stranger:Me]

Yes. Then it becomes rude.


Skyryder

Ah, so the labour party didn't want to be rude then?

[Mom]

Ah, so the labour party didn't want to be rude then?

No, they withheld the truth to avoid hurt feelings of course Mr Silly.

[Burtha]

Of course its good to be honest, but your example is just based on abuse rather than honesty.

Wanting to tell the truth all the time in a non-aggressive manner would be more like it. I'm good at it - always getting myself into trouble for being too honest and dobbing myself in !!

[Skyryder]

The other thing with honesty is the question. Do you tell someone what they want to hear or the truth?

Skyryder

[The Stranger:Me]

The other thing with honesty is the question. Do you tell someone what they want to hear or the truth?

Or, do they have any right asking the question or knowing the answer anyway?
Declining to answer may give away a truth that they are not entitled to therefore a lie may be the only solution.

To answer the title question - in my view, honesty isn't always a good thing.

[LBD]

Honesty without tactfullness can be harmful and abusive...

Be honest in every thing especially to your self, but dont dish out honesty where it is not wanted, it is better to keep your silence in those cases.

Honesty used with tact and consideration for others, is a good thing and is its own reward....IMO

[Bass]

My mum is quite ill. She is 84 and has pancreatitis and renal failure.
She asked me about the health of her neice's husband, who has multiple myeloma. This is an incurable condition and so the treatment is all about buying time.
Honesty was always paramount in our household and so I told her that he is not responding at all to the chemo.
She didn't need to hear that at the moment, but I would have been breaking faith with her to do anything else.
Too honest?
I don't know.
But I do know that honesty can be really hard sometimes.

[Mikkel]

Be honest in every thing especially to your self, but dont dish out honesty where it is not wanted, it is better to keep your silence in those cases.

Now that there is right on the money!

[MotoGirl]

Sometimes it's better to just say nothing if your honesty is likely to cause trouble by upsetting someone. There is nothing to be gained by being honest if the person listening isn't going to absorb what you're saying. People sometimes need to see things for themselves so they discount anything that may point out something they are not yet ready to see.

[Skyryder]

Or, do they have any right asking the question or knowing the answer anyway?
Declining to answer may give away a truth that they are not entitled to therefore a lie may be the only solution.

To answer the title question - in my view, honesty isn't always a good thing.

On that basis a lie is not necessarily a bad thing either. But I doubt if those that are lied too would agreee.


Skyryder

[Skyryder]

My mum is quite ill. She is 84 and has pancreatitis and renal failure.
She asked me about the health of her neice's husband, who has multiple myeloma. This is an incurable condition and so the treatment is all about buying time.
Honesty was always paramount in our household and so I told her that he is not responding at all to the chemo.
She didn't need to hear that at the moment, but I would have been breaking faith with her to do anything else.
Too honest?
I don't know.
But I do know that honesty can be really hard sometimes.

Yes Good post. I have always held the view that if you think you may not like the answer do not ask the question.


Skyryder

[Bass]

Yes Good post. I have always held the view that if you think you may not like the answer do not ask the question.


Skyryder

That works pretty often but sometimes you NEED to know and so just have to face it.

e.g. Do I have HIV doctor?

Sometimes ignorance can be bliss but it just may not a tenable position.

Also, there are a few people out there (like my mum) who would rather have the truth, no matter what.