real glory.

"Honesty is the best policy."

...Fascinating. What people neglect to add to that oh-so-simple phrase is "it will cut you deeper than any katana and will expose you greater than any reality show."

Literally, maybe one of the most difficult attributes to acquire. And I'm not so sure I've even had a taste of it. What a terrifying thought, you know? What does a life look like that is never shaken up? A man who does all the wrong things, only to be rewarded with all the wrong answers, lit up brighter than a Christmas tree in November, being forced to believe they are the right ones.

A good friend of mine recently told me "if you surround yourself with friends who don't think your shit stinks, find new friends."

I thought it was beautiful. I thought it was beautiful because it was crass, and to the point. Not to mention, I took a barrel-load from it.

What I learned from my friend is that honesty is the big brother of humility. If we could only receive a regular dose of honesty, we would be forced to stay humble. Like Raid to a cockroach, honesty is to arrogance. It suffocates any chance to ever become bigger than ourselves and our narcissism. This is, of course, in contrast to never receiving honesty in which one can never feel where his feet land. He would just continue to gallivant up this mythical hierarchal structure (eventually becoming his own King), never being told that the structure doesn't exist and that he's still in the same place he started.

I don't like the thought of praying hard for an honest environment, because I don't like the feeling of heartbreak. But I suppose the shadow really does prove the sunshine.