2009-09-04

Does it hurt more to tell the truth or to hear it? Now that’s a loaded question that isn’t going to be easy to answer, if indeed there is an answer. There’s a saying that says the truth will set you free, but even it doesn’t answer the question. Are we free by telling truth or listening to it? This is a subject that just might make for a long, never-ending debate.
Telling the truth isn’t as easy as it sounds. Truth hurts. Most people don’t like to hurt the feelings of others, and sometimes, truth hurts. Whether or not truth should hurt or not is another subject, but the reality is that some things just aren’t easy to hear. People are invested in their personal truths and telling someone that their truth is a lie just isn’t easy, and it’s often painful. We know it will bother them, so it hurts us just to speak it.
So, what hurts the most – telling or hearing? Telling the truth is a risk, in that you’re counting on the other person to understand your reason for speaking up. At the same time, hearing the truth and reacting positively means having confidence in oneself and being secure enough to understand the honesty being offered without feeling like it’s an attack. It takes courage to say the truth, and it takes courage to hear it. Thus, the answer to the question is that both can hurt equally. One can only hope that a relationship of any kind is strong enough to afford the honesty that truth demands.

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