The truth hurts, but it's just a slap in the face

We have all experienced it...that time when someone tells you the truth and it feels like a bag of bricks just hit you in the face. It hurts. Everyone realizes it. And that's why so many times we are afraid to speak the truth. We hemm and hah over it and just think "well, if I don't tell them, it will be better". And then we begin to rationalize our thinking with other 'supporting' thoughts like "there's no point in telling them the truth, it will just hurt them" and "it's awkward, I don't want to talk about it" and then you're left with spinach in your teeth or a dress that indeed does make your butt look fat or a relationship that's all wrong. Even worse, you're left with a friend who is lying directly to your face, so they 'don't hurt you'.




let's be honest:

the truth is like a slap in the face. It hurts right when it happens, it stings for a little while, and then it goes away.

finding out a lie is like breaking a bone. It hurts a ton and then you're stuck in an awkward and difficult (a cast) situation for months and when it heals it might grow perfectly together but that little line will still be there, a reminder of that time when it wasn't quite right.

I don't know about you, but if someone walked up to me and said "would you prefer me to slap you in the face or break your arm?" I'd take the slap every time (after I asked what in the world I could have possibly done wrong). We shouldn't tell the truth because it doesn't hurt, we should tell it because it hurts less.

So why, when given the choice between the truth and a lie, do we often chose the lie? Because it's easier? Let's talk about that theory.

Lies are not easy, they're hard. Lies take thought. They usually take a little planning or at least a cover up after. Lies have been scientifically linked to more fatigue, stress, colds, depression, and anxiety. In addition, brain scans indicate that lying actually takes more activity in your brain.

"No man has a good enough memory to make a successful liar."

                               -Abraham Lincoln

So lying? Definitely not easy. 

Why else would we chose to lie then? To protect the people we care about? 

Lying is the absolute worst thing you could do to me besides physically hurting me or someone I love. I like to know the world around me and my place in it. When you lie, you put me on pause, change the world, and then hit play, expecting me to know where I am when the whole world looks different. By lying, you also say that you are better than me, that you have a right to lie to me when you would expect nothing but the truth from me.  When you lie, you steal. By obtaining them falsely, you steal my time, abilities, trust, and care. 

Lying is difficult. It's inequality. It's thievery. It's fraud. 

So, next time you have to decide between the truth and a lie, chose the slap in the face.