Telling people what’s what feels good. It’s a release from all the pent up restraint and a riddance of hiding behind a facade. However it could be said that we are all faking it for other people. When attending a job interview, we put on a suit and tie as well as altering the way we speak. And when seeing a potential mate, we suck in our stomachs and present only the good.
With that in mind, one could argue that telling someone off is akin to shooting yourself in the foot, or turning out to a first date with no makeup. Because the fact of the matter is that the truth is an ugly thing that few want to know. Some may say otherwise, but that is the way it is. When was the last you met someone that wanted to be told they are fat? Most people want to be told what they want to hear.
The truth doesn’t pay, so best to keep it to yourself when the emperor shows you his new linens. It’s all a matter of maneuvering. Just like in a job interview, you are posing, same concept when withholding the truth. Telling people off burns a lot of bridges, best to keep it to yourself.
It’s like poker, to win, don’t show your hand and bluff on what you do and don’t have. Some may say it is lying, others will say it is collective bargaining process to determine the value of information because there just it. The truth isn’t free, so don’t give it away.
Kingston S. Lim
12th September 2022
Lomé, Togo
Kingston S. Lim 