Imagine a world where every person spoke what was on his or her own mind whenever possible. Not only would everyone know what everyone was thinking, but I think there would be utter chaos and hatred among the masses of people.
I find that people tend to ask this question from time to time: "Why is (insert name) always lying or bending the truth?" I am a full believer that people tell little lies because they want to protect others feelings. I think this is necessary to do so to keep peace. If we always said what was on our minds, I think people would always be angry with us. At the same time, what if we always said what we thought and people learned to respect us instead?
I think there needs to be a fine line, or filter, with what kind of information we spill to others. While I believe that honesty is most important, I also feel that filters are needed in order to protect some things. Is it proper or moral to tell people something that might hurt their feelings? Perhaps not. There are some people who will spill this information without even blinking an eye. Then you run into the situation of whether you know the other person can handle it or not. I find through observation that people who speak their mind constantly always have some form of drama or another in their lives. Why do they have this drama? First, a filter was not applied. Secondly, they didn't previously assess whether or not they thought the person could handle it.
I am a full supporter of the 1st Amendment to our U.S. Constitution. However, I am always aware that limitations must be set. Just because we can speak or say something doesn't mean we should. Some things should simply be left protected. Example: John Doe has really disgusting body odor. Do you tell this person or do you hide it from them? Now we have to deal with how well we know the person. If this was someone off of the streets that I never met before, I will most definitely not tell them because I risk getting into a fight, hurting their feelings, or causing some form of other ruckus. However, if it was a close friend that I know I could tell anything to, I would most definitely say something knowing that I was not be lashed at for doing so.
See the difference? This is what is called filtering, knowing your limitations, and where to draw the line. Some people cannot make this distinction and therefore ALWAYS have drama in their lives. I find this quite unfortunate for people and I feel bad for them because they lack those types of social skills that are deemed necessary for a calm and peaceful life.
In conclusion, speak your mind, but do so with a filter by knowing when to say it, what to say, and who to say it to, all in the right time when it is needed. Protecting the feelings of others is important, yet sometimes we must break the barriers when we know that we can.
