Tell the Truth Day

Today is Tell the Truth Day, and it got me to thinking. And while I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject, it seemed like a good time to offer some food for thought.

For the most part, I consider myself a pretty honest person. I tend to not hold much back, and most people who know me well know that I'll usually tell you what I'm thinking.

Except when I don't. Because we all tell "little white lies" sometimes, don't we? Did you really not hear the phone, or did you just not feel like talking right now? Do you really have plans tonight, or do you just not feel like going out? Does she really not look fat in that dress?

Some people would say that the truth is always better.

And maybe that's true. Although I'm not sure that telling every little truth is worth making someone cry. Maybe it's better to take Thumper's advice.

Personally, I try to strike a balance. I don't think sparing someone's feelings is the worst thing in the world, so sometimes avoiding the whole truth might be better. But at the same time, telling those little lies all of the time just because you think they aren't hurting anyone probably isn't the best way to go either.

Are little white lies the gateway to a larger evil? Perhaps not. But like anything else that becomes a habit, it becomes increasingly easy to do, and we start to become desensitized to it. Eventually, it just becomes a part of who we are. And I don't know about you, but that's not the kind of person I want to be.

So today, like every day, is a good time to think about who we are, and how we want to live our lives. I don't want to just drift along doing whatever seems easiest. I want to make a conscious effort. I want to put some thought into what I say and do. I want to be the kind of person that I really want to be.