Why is it so hard to be honest?

Where I grew up, honesty was prized above all else. Your word was your bond; if you made a promise, you kept it. You followed through with the things you said you’d do. You told the truth, even when it hurt. Lies were despicable, the most shameful thing you could possibly do (aside from breaking one of the Ten Commandments). I grew up in a home where if someone asked you a question, you told it straight.

I find myself increasingly disgruntled with society. Proprietors string me along with promises to call me back or hire me next week that they never keep. People who claim they are really close friends never call or write. Others say one thing when they mean entirely another (and then get angry because I don’t “get it.”) Politicians make all kinds of promises that are no better than outright lies and no one bats an eye.

Why is it so hard to be honest?

If I knew you weren’t interested in hiring me, I would stop wasting your time (and mine). If you never liked me in the first place, stop pretending for the sake of my feelings. I’m a big girl with lots of practice at rejection; I can take it. If you state things like they are, I won’t be so confused and I’ll stop asking you questions.

I expect nothing more from you than I, myself, am willing to give. What you see of me is pretty much what you get — a soloist who writes and performs simple music. I’m a girl who often can’t decide what instrument she wants to play, who wishes she were more polished and flashy but remains most comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt. I’m a girl who sometimes thinks she’s useless, but feels confident on the stage, a girl who hates being a radio and yet isn’t sure she can stand the scrutiny of being famous… A girl who is far from perfect, but who always tries to speak her mind, not string anyone along, and who doesn’t make promises she knows she cannot keep.

Why is it so hard to tell it straight? Why must so many feel compelled to hide behind vague assertions and uncomfortable omissions? They only drag the awkward moment out, day after day. Why not just “spill the beans,” deal with it, and put it all behind you? Is society truly so cowardly that they can’t even speak something so simple as the truth?