Honestly, Honesty??

Honesty is the best policy – or so we were told by our parents and school teachers when we were kids. All grown up, I’m not so sure any more.  The world would be totally chaotic if you ask me, if we all were suddenly stricken with the deadly honestovirus.

In fact, it is not even possible to be completely honest in these times, if it even were at any time before this. How would we save our jobs by telling our boss he totally sucks? Diplomacy, when tactfully used, replaces honesty as the most valuable virtue to possess these days. Diplomacy has its limitations too, though. When overused it would just become manipulation, which I think is where we would start showing the tiny devil horns and fangs when we check ourselves out in the elevator glass.

It tickles me to wonder how complete honesty could play total havoc in my life when even used in a tiny little measure with, …my voicemail recording, for instance. What would I really want to say on my voicemail message, as opposed to what I have said now?:) Read along…

Diplomatic (actual) message: Hi, this is ____. I am not able to take your call right now, please leave your name blah blah and I will call you back as soon as I can.

Totally Honest (imaginary) message: I am obviously doing something more important than talking to you right now, and am either avoiding your call, or couldn't care less to keep my phone close to me. If you are someone from my offshore work team and are calling me in the middle of the night to get some technical solution from me which you could have easily found from a simple Google search, please press the little red button on your phone. If you are a creditor calling to remind me about an upcoming payment you want me to make, please call again to remind me everyday till I almost miss my deadline. If you are a pretentious friend, calling me to check on my life, while only wanting to talk about how great yours is, please don’t ever call again. If you are my boss, …damn, I’ll have to take this one.