Carrie Link

IT'S OUR SECRETS THAT WILL KILL US

Once upon a time there was a girl, and everyone thought this girl to be "so honest". No one could believe she'd share the things she shared, with the people she did.
The girl found this phenomenon strange. She thought telling the truth was what you were supposed to do. She'd heard it would set her free, and she believed that to be true. She'd gone the secretive route, and that just left her with a host of nasty health issues and a sour disposition.
So this girl decided to live her life with truth and kindness. She would be careful not to hurt others, but she would not lie to them. Above all, she would be kind and honest with herself.
People did not think this was all that great at times. Some people, it turned out, did not appreciate the kind and honest answers she gave to their questions. They were used to hearing what they wanted to hear, and the truth was not appreciated.
This made the girl sad, and she began to doubt herself. Plenty of people encouraged this doubt, and wanted her to just keep the peace, at any cost.
The peace. What is the cost of peace, if it is at the sacrifice of one's own? When is keeping the peace more important than feeling peaceful with one's self? When is protecting the feelings of others', more important than maintaining one's own integrity and following one's own internal compass? The little girl began to doubt that she'd ever be free, by telling the truth. She remained convinced, however, that it was the secrets one keeps that have the power to kill.