To Be Perfectly Honest ?

Do yourself a favor and take the next several minutes to honestly ponder on the following often used phrase:

To be perfectly honest with you ...

Do you use this phrase?  Why do you use it?  Is it a figure of speech or is it a preface to some very specific and truthful information?

Is it used often by others when speaking with you?  When do they use it?  What is the tone of the conversation?  How do you feel when you hear it?

In what context does the phrase come up most frequently?  And most importantly, what does the phrase suggest about all the other times you are speaking during which you (or others) did NOT use this phrase?

There are many variations on the theme ... Can I be completely honest with you? ... Well if I'm being totally truthful with you ... and so on.  But each one reflects the same sentiment and I think we are not actually being perfectly honest with ourselves if we don't stop to consider this possibility:  if you must clarify with someone that you are about to be perfectly honest then you are, in effect, being imperfectly honest the remainder of the time.

In other words, and more simple language, unless you preface ALL your statements with this phrase, you are, for all intents and purposes LYING.  Because what is imperfect honesty if not some variation of perfect dishonesty?

Let that simmer for a little while and then consider removing this either overly used or under-used phrase from your typical speech patterns.  You'll be more perfectly honest if you do ... and that's no lie.


Song Of The Day:
To be of average honesty, I only thought for a little while before deciding that LFO's popular tune "Every Other Time" was a great fit for this post.  The lyrics are more about a relationship, but if you're open to creative listening, I think you can draw some parallels between the song and our misuse of the phrase above.

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