Lies

I overslept this morning. So this is my morning. 

Today I’m thinking about honesty. I’m a very honest person. I don’t play games, make up stories, or trick people. I don’t have to, because real life is good enough for me. 

For some people, real life is unbearable. They are unhappy with their truth. For some reason or another, they are powerless to change their own life to make their real life good enough. 

So they lie. If someone isn’t strong enough to resolve the issues that are not satisfying them in their relationship, they may go outside their relationship to find someone who gives them what they are looking for. They lie by cheating, because they are scared to tell the truth. 

Or maybe they have an addiction they aren’t proud of, so they hide it. Scared to admit that they are powerless, and not willing to ask for help, they are forced to hide this secret life. 

In more cases than not, lies stem from fear. Fear of not being what we want to be, fear of being rejected, fear of losing, fear of getting hurt. 

I have begged for honesty more times than I care to admit. What I realize now, is that I should have been begging for bravery. It takes a lot of bravery to be honest with oneself and even more to be honest with others. It takes a lot of bravery to accept life as it is, even when we don’t like it. 

I’m pretty lucky to be unflinchingly brave. It allows for honesty in my life. Sometimes I falter, and sometimes I lie. But usually I’m just a little bit embarrassed of my life, not entirely embarrassed, so I have the good fortune to have a ridiculous life that I can sit honestly in. 

Next time someone lies to you, instead of taking it personally, step outside of your hurt. Look at the other person’s hurt, their fear, and their truth. Is their truth good enough for you? Would you have loved them through it? 

In short, lying is only the fear of truth. So go out there and be brave enough to be honest, and wise enough to understand the motivation behind the lies. If you are the liar, find strength, you are lovable. If you are being lied to, it’s only because you’re wonderful.