the best policy.

Sometimes I'm struck by how hard it seems to be to say what we really mean.  The intentions are there, but when it comes time to actually form the words and formulate the sentence, our bravery fades. Fear steps in and dilutes the honesty, the feeling, the meaning behind our words; we sugar-coat and downplay our thoughts and our truths, to save face or protect feelings.  This steadfast protection of our vulnerability stunts our ability to connect, to truly test the waters of relationships, and find bonds between our authentic selves.  It halts the development of our morals, the discovery of our core values, and the creation of our individual identities.  Fear isolates us, forming a prison borne of what-I-should-have-said walls, white-lies-I-told floors, and how-I-really-felt ceilings.

How do we break free from this socially ingrained habit?  How do we both practice radical honesty and also be open to receiving it from others?  I don't mean in a "no offence, but" format; this is not an excuse to be critical or cruel without consequence.  I think our next great revolution needs to be the ability to give and accept honest feelings and words with kindness, vulnerability, and an open mind.  This would serve to remove the energy from hate, the power from secrets, and the questions from our minds.  If loving honesty becomes the norm, think of all the anxieties that can be quelled, when we no longer need to search for the intentions behind each others words; they're all right there, intentions laid bare, in everything we do and say.  When our minds are free of the business of deciphering each other, the things we can focus on and accomplish could be life-changing, for ourselves and the world.