by Michelle Alexander

Created on: August 28, 2008   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

We have all been told the same thing since we were little. "Did you make the mess in the kitchen?" "Did you break my favorite lamp?" "Did you go to Jenny's house when I told you not to?" It always ends with the same thing "You can tell me. Honesty in the best policy." But is it really that easy? Honesty is essential to any relationship, but is there ever a time when you and your love ones may be better off not knowing the whole truth? Some may argue both ways. Like most things in life there is know clean cut answer that you can tie up with a nice bow. It's confusing. It's complicated. It's life.

We all say we want honesty. It's only natural to want to know exactly where we stand with our loved one, and at some point we may have the urge to know every little thing about them, from who they took to their first junior high dance to why they are now single after their last relationship. It gives us a sense of intimacy. We want to be with a person that feels close enough to us to completely let their guard down, and trusts us enough to share these personal secrets with. This is all a wonderful idea in theory, the theory being that we've all led perfect lives, we never make mistakes, and that intimacy is the only thing gained by being completely opened. In reality, un the contrary to what our parents told us when we were growing up, truth may not always be the answer.

Take this situation for example. You've done something, and as far as you can see, the person you care about it never going to find out about it. No one saw you. There isn't any thing would connect you to what you've done. These situations are rare, but they do exist. In the aftermath, you do have a very complicated decision to make: do you confess to something that will most likely never be brought into the light anyway, or do you keep your mouth shut and hope that your deed is good and buried.

The truth can be like a sword. You hold the protected handle and have all the power, the power to hold the weapon out of reach, as well as the power to dispatch your loved one. We all say that we want to know the truth no matter how painful, but if you were truly honest with yourself, how many times have you said this and immediately after wished you could go back to the way you were before you knew? If you are faced with a decision do swing this sword of truth at a completely unsuspecting loved one, it's never as simple as "lying is wrong" and "truth is good".

This sword can become heavy over time. You are the

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