In an episode of "Sex and the City" (I can’t help it; they have are real life situations), Carrie becomes conflicted in telling her boyfriend about an affair she has been involved in with her ex. She continues to decipher what she should do -- tell her boyfriend about this or just move on like it never happened. Though, taking this question situation into perspective, is it really just selfish to relieve yourself of guilt, or can it help the situation?
Honesty is an act of being truthful. Though this definition may seem optimistic and good, it can do harm. If someone were to have some tragic or unappealing news or simply venting by expressing yourself, airing your feelings or “just being honest,” that truth can hurt someone and alter any situation. Good intentions can be justifiable, but actions do speak louder than words. Though, when it comes to this question, I believe there is more to the eye than we can see. Another term we need to keep in mind is integrity. According to Google, integrity is “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.” In telling someone bad news, does the moral thing justify the news?
From my personal experience, I view integrity as something respectable. Whether the bad news is unpleasant or not, I respect someone who can own up to their mistakes and tell the truth. Yes, revealing the truth makes everything seem very different than it was and it can hurt someone, but the telling truth requires integrity. However, I do think that when it comes to telling the truth, many different people would rather be ignorant to keep their sanity. It takes intelligent and wise individuals to adapt to the truth as well as accept it.
To answer Carrie’s question, I believe she did do the right thing in telling her boyfriend about her affair, whether it was relieving herself from the guilt or not. Even if her relationship ended, the other person deserves the same choice the guilty person had, “Is this worth it?” When you put your trust in someone, revealing yourself layer after layer takes vulnerability, and that is courageous. In the end, you have to question your self worth and respect and ask yourself, “Are you deserving of the truth?”
