by Herman Trevail

Created on: March 02, 2007   Last Updated: April 30, 2007

I find it interesting that in poll after poll we say that the characteristic we value most in another person is honesty when in reality we prove time and time again that we are not able to handle complete and utter honesty from those around us.

We want discretion.

Is discretion honest? Let's think about that a moment. When we say one is being discreet, the inference is that one is demonstrating some responsibility in their choice of words. That's not inherently dishonest, is it?

The root lies in the Latin word discernere, meaning to PERCEIVE as being different or distinct; wholly an objective judgement.

So then, when we say we are being discreet, are we not making a choice, based on our perception, to, at the very least, soften the bluntness presented by the truth in its most naked form? If truth and honesty are so great, why would their be any need for discretion in truthful matters?

Because, in the words of a movie character with whom I do not care to be associated, "You can't HANDLE the truth."

And honestly, neither can I.

Yet, there is within us a desire to be honest, to be open, to say what we REALLY feel, express the truth that lies inside our souls.

Why do so many author blogs with the utilization of anonymous monickers? Why do so many hide blogs from spouses, friends, parents, and employers?

Because they cannot handle the truth, either. Not only that, when confronted with the truth, many will quite likely use it to our own detriment. The truth, taken out of context, can be very damning. The truth, in context, can be deadly.

I think, though I've no way of proving, there is within each of us the need to be honest, to be able to speak the truth of what we feel, what we see, and what we think. We need that ability to bare our souls, if not our bodies, to some entity through some form or fashion. After all, isn't that the very premise on which the concept of confession exists? If we did not hold a perhaps latent desire to be honest, to "come clean" about our faults, our "sins," would we still know any measure of guilt?

We so very much want and need honesty in our lives; still, there remains so many areas in which we quite simply cannot handle honesty. We don't want to know. We've even created an acronym: TMI, too much information. We prefer to see the world, and others, if not through rose-colored glasses, then certainly lenses filtered by a shade of discretion. Even our reality television is heavily edited because some times it is just TOO real, and we cannot handle

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