The Nature of Truthfulness

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It might be worth your while to hunt this little piece down on the web and view it, so I won't describe it further except to say that I found it very Zenly, which is not quite the same as very friendly, but close enough.

I've already exceeded my intended alcohol consumption for tonight. So much for will power and resolutions under the seductive spell of booze. Resolution fares much better in a sober environment. I've also noticed that guilt has influenced my spontaneity in a negative manner. There is no longer the usual verbal carelessness as my paranoid (and guilty) brain seeks to prevent further outrage, no doubt in the interests of self-preservation. This curious fact tends to confirm my impression that I am not really capable of massive self-deception.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? And is this effect due more to my innate honesty or to the fact that I am publishing these thoughts? Or both? Good question. I think the answer lies less in 'innateness' and more in 'publicness.' I am no more innately truthful than you are, but the written word carries so much weight with it that our tendency to 'decorate' our memories in a more pleasing manner is suppressed, with the result that we tend to become more truthful.