Honesty is Such an Easy Word

"Honesty is a selfish virtue." - Gertrude Stein

I've been thinking about this quote a lot the last few days. I'm not entirely sure what she meant by it...

Is it selfish to be honest to those around us, knowing that we have the satisfaction of being certain our genuine feelings and emotions are being conveyed, regardless of their impact? Or is the protection of those we care about more important than the purity of our morals? In fact, is the choice to protect them selfish, as we take away their option and ability to react and feel?

Or is it selfish to demand honesty from those around us, to expect them to uphold some code of respect and morality and represent themselves how they actually are and feel? Should their role as friends or family require them to be honest with us? And is our expectation of that honesty selfish, and an unfair burden?

I tend to internalize much of what is going on with me, when I do try and express myself genuinely, the people who get that information are few and far between. Recently, the attempt to open up to someone a bit more than our relationship had previously seen, backfired on me, to the possible destruction of our friendship. I've having trouble accepting that, and my attempts to repair the rift seem to be only opening it further.

Adult communication is hard...