Growing up, many of us are taught that honesty is the best policy. However, honesty can be bad in certain situations. Unfiltered and harsh honesty can lead to unnecessary pain. 

WJPS 11th grader Sophia Provenzano said, “Honesty can be bad depending on the circumstances. Like if your friend asks if her outfit is ugly you can either say yes so she doesn’t look stupid, or say no so you don’t potentially hurt her feelings.”

In certain situations, total honesty can cause emotional harm and damage relationships. Blunt opinions can ruin someone’s self-esteem and make the person want to distance themselves from you.

WJPS 10th grader Noah Lim said, “If you’re too honest people may take offense. You can be honest at times, but it really depends.”

Ultimately, while honesty is very important in life it’s essential to consider the consequences of what we say and do. Honesty should be handled with empathy and sensitivity to make sure the person takes something positive from it rather than negative.
“diary writing” by freddie boy is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.