Nor is it always wise to truckle
to sensibilities that may be foolish; blunt truthfulness, even if
unpalatable, is often in the end the best service. There are cases
where untruthfulness is shirking one's duty, just as there are cases
where truthfulness is mean or brutal.
To tell what we honestly think of a person, or his work, may mean to
discourage him and invite demoralization or failure; to attribute virtues
or powers to him which he actually does not possess may be to foster
those virtues or powers in him. Or the reverse may be the case; his
individual need may be of frank criticism or rebuke. The concrete
decision can only be reached by following the guidance of the law of
kindness, the Apostle's counsel of "speaking truth in love."
(3) In this connection it may be well to go further and emphasize the fact
that there are many cases, not necessitating a lie, where the truth
is not to be thrust at people. "Friend, though thy soul should burn
thee, yet be still. Thoughts were not meant for strife, nor tongues
for swords, He that sees clear is gentlest of his words, And that's
not truth that hath the heart to kill." There are usually pleasant
enough things that one CAN say - though one may be hard put to it;
and if the truth must be told, it may often be sugarcoated. President
Hadley, when a young man, was receiving instructions for a delicate
negotiation. "If the issue is forced upon us," he interrupted, "there
is, I think, nothing to do but to tell the truth.
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