Brutal Honesty over Hypocritical Politeness

We all lie too often. We tell white lies to spare someone’s feelings, or we simply omit the truth in order to avoid confrontations. But is it really better to be dishonest? Is sugar-coating our words actually helping us be more productive and successful? Or could it be that brutal honesty is exactly what we need in order to break through the boundaries of comfort and progress into something greater? Let’s take a look at why constructive brutal honesty serves a better purpose than lying in order to spare people discomfort.

Honesty Builds Trust
When you are brutally honest with someone, they know that you are being genuine and that your opinion matters. People will trust you more if they know that your intentions are pure and that you care about them enough to share your honest thoughts. This trust can lead to deeper relationships, as well as collaboration on projects where everyone knows their roles and expectations from day one.

Honesty Pushes You Out Of Your Comfort Zone
Constructive brutal honesty requires one to push themselves out of their comfort level because they have no choice but to be vulnerable when delivering their honest opinion. Being brave enough to voice an unpopular opinion or criticism allows for growth on both sides involved in the conversation. It also can help create solutions faster because there is no time spent beating around the bush trying not to hurt feelings or dodge uncomfortable topics.


Say What Needs To Be Said
The main benefit of being brutally honest is that it forces us to say what needs to be said—no matter how uncomfortable it may feel at first. This way, everyone involved knows exactly what is expected of them and what needs improvement moving forward. By avoiding sugar-coating our words, we are able to move forward with a clear goal in mind instead of wasting time trying deciphering unclear comments or guessing at someone’s true intentions behind their words.


Constructive brutal honesty has many benefits when used correctly, such as building trust, pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and enabling people involved in conversations or projects come up with solutions faster by saying what truly needs to be said without any sugar-coating involved. So next time you’re faced with a difficult conversation, try using constructive brutal honesty instead of lying or avoiding the topic altogether—you might just surprise yourself with how much easier it makes things!


References:

https://www.samharris.org/books/lying

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