Honesty is a very important thing because it opens up trust and can strengthen healthier relationships as well as allowing us to show ourselves in the best way for others. Although honesty is a good thing, it can also lead to destruction if taken to the extreme. This is called being brutally honest.
To be brutally honest means telling the truth, even if it’s mean or hurtful. If someone says “that shirt doesn’t look good on you” they are trying to put you down, which is an example of being brutally honest. This can open up toxic relationships with others and lower people’s self-esteem.
WJPS 12th grader Athena Porter said, “Sometimes honesty can be bad because you don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings unless it’s for a good reason. Not if it’s going to affect someone’s life in a negative way.”
People should be honest, but in a respectful way, not in a way where it could put someone down and/or lower their self-esteem.
WJPS 12th grader Alexa Llenas said, “I feel like sometimes it’s not always prudent to use honesty in a situation where you can make someone feel bad.”
