“Do not soften things out of any pity for me, but tell me in all plainness exactly what you saw.”
~ The Odyssey - Book III (Samuel Butler Translation. p194)
In Book 3, Telemachus reaches Pylos and speaks to Nestor, a wise and elderly king who had fought alongside Ulysses. He says to Nestor - “Do not soften things out of any pity for me, but tell me in all plainness exactly what you saw.” It made me think of the importance of telling facts as-is without beating around the bush or telling a lie with the hope of not hurting the other person. We probably can’t truly judge how a person might react to bad news and end up making assumptions and telling things indirectly. Sometimes many people even avoid conveying a bad message to another person, hoping that someone else would do it. Not being direct in conversations leads to more confusion and complications.
You’re right, it’s important to tell the truth, even if it’s hard. Sometimes we may think that we’re protecting someone by sugarcoating the truth, but in reality, we’re just making things worse. When we’re not honest with people, it can lead to misunderstandings, resentment, and even anger.