About Kind of Honesty

Post 17:

            Honesty is a tricky one. How come? I’m calling this “kind of honesty” because it’s the mostly true things people tell each other that interest me. There’s a bit of wiggle room, a part of the whole that can be left out.

            Specifically in business, “kind of honesty” is rampant. If I’m trying to sell you on the idea of reading my book I put the story on the back, but I don’t put how there’s one part of the plot that never quite lined up the way I wanted. If you want proof of “kind of honesty,” go to a cell phone store. Those people are the kings. Actually, they pretty much lie straight to your face. But you get the picture.

            There’s the things you leave out because people don’t need to know everything. The things you don’t say because they’re hurtful and really don’t have any efficacy. The things you just forget. But what’s the right amount? I don’t freaking know.

            If you want to drive yourself crazy for a day, actively try and imagine what people are really thinking when they say something to you. Let your brain off the leash, give it a spin. It’s a strange thought experiment, and it will give you a tumor.

            So don’t do that. And don’t lie if it can be helped. Mostly, don’t say things and then not do them. Really bad form, that. Irony, considering I’m a guy that makes up stories every day and writes them down. Things that never happened. Lies? Nope. Stories. Guess that gives me a free pass. Double irony? I try to make my characters believable. That’s a lie on top of lie in the name of truth. Crap. Now I have a tumor.

            Honesty. It’s not just a sub-par Billy Joel song.

            Cheers. See you after.