Do these Jeans make me look Fat?

Some dishonesty is necessary to keep a friendship strong.
Describe a specific situation in which some dishonesty is not necessary to keep a friendship strong. Discuss what you think determines whether or not some dishonesty is necessary to keep a friendship strong.
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People around the world carry different perceptions of what constitutes an offense against moral (or religious) law and whether that action is absolutely unacceptable in any situation. Dishonesty is commonly cited as a cardinal sin but can be justified by many as an appropriate action depending on the purpose. Young children learn from parents, teachers, and Pinocchio that one should never lie. However, as these children grow up, they realize that being dishonest is sometimes necessary to be accepted socially and more specifically, to keep friendships strong.

People have seemingly infinite thoughts running in their mind when interacting with others. When encountering new people, they focus mostly on physical features and the overall vibe detected from the person. When dealing with friends, thoughts are often deeper due to a greater amount of information about the person. While one may regard his friend very highly, he will be aware of the faults and weaknesses. An ideal friendship consists of two people who can be completely honest with each other and not be afraid about hurting feelings. However, a majority of friendships cannot be sustained in a utopia of absolute honesty. The reality is that most people cannot stand being criticized or told things that hit at their fragile egos. When a woman asks her friend if her jeans make her look fat, the friend will usually say that she looks perfectly fine despite thinking otherwise. People want to be with those who make them feel good all the time. A person that cannot tell white lies or withhold truthful comments will not be able to maintain friendships.

Dishonesty is not necessary to keep a friendship strong in a case where the "receiver" of the truth is well grounded and truly confident in himself. This type of person is not the least affected by judgment of his looks and abilities and in fact, appreciates being told the truth about himself no matter how ugly that truth is. Unfortunately, this type of person is rare and most people will learn that their friends lack the self-assuredness to deal with the truth.


Of course, friendships are not kept strong with any type of dishonesty. Lies meant to cause harm or told without regarding the best interests of the friend can kill the friendship. There exist white lies, however, that are told to save the friend from an embarrassing situation. Indeed, one can question how true or strong a friendship is if friends feel the need to be dishonest (even in the most superficial context) in order to continue the friendship.