Dr. Rick
“Honesty is the absence of the intent to deceive.”
This simple definition implies some questions to ask yourself. How much are you willing to bare to another? Do you want to hide something when you speak that will make you look better, perhaps making someone else look worse? Are you protecting yourself? From what? What, exactly, are your intentions?
Or, do you wish to hold on to something a bit longer…till you understand its implications better? To be certain it won’t cause harm to another.
A friend of mine concedes, “When this confusion occurs I feel myself closing up, or coloring what I say, leaving out information, protecting myself from something, even if I can’t put my finger on it. Coming from a family where being discreet was seen as being deceptive, I was made to feel intensely guilty for holding back…even if it was mine to decide.”
Consider this: This important distinction now becomes one of deception versus discretion. To be perfectly honest, that is.