A common trend I've noticed in my generation is that no one can be honest with each other anymore. It seems as though people are, in general, afraid. People are afraid of denial, offending each other, and most of all, hearing the truth.

I'm lucky to have a brutally honest best friend. She tells me when I need to stop procrastinating, whether she approves of the guy I'm crushing on, and when the dress I want to buy isn't flattering. Having a best friend who's honest with you not only makes your friendship stronger and longer-lasting, but it also helps you improve your sense of self.

We all live in our fantasy worlds, whether we like to admit it or not. We convince ourselves of our productivity when we know we have been on Facebook for hours. There's nothing wrong with it; in fact, it's completely natural for humans to want to lie to ourselves. Simply search Google for "Self-Deception Studies" and you'll see a plethora of interesting mind games humans play on themselves and each other, whether intentional or not.

I have found in life that I have avoided countless hours of drama and confusion by being completely honest with the people in my life. I refuse to pretend that I'm interested in a guy because I don't want to hurt his feelings. I will not tell my best friend to go for the boy who dropped out of college and treats her like trash. And no, I will not restrain myself from discussing current events because it makes you uncomfortable. Whether you like what you hear or not, it's the truth.

Of course, you shouldn't be rude to your friends, or really anyone, when telling them the truth. Be compassionate and kind, because they should know that the reason you are being brutally honest with them is because you care about them.

Unfortunately, this will not always work. You will make friends in life who would rather live in their fantasy worlds than listen to your brutally honest advice, and those friends will soon become strangers. It's a sad reality, and you start to question whether they're ignorant or if you were rude when delivering the truth. Keep in mind that not everyone will want to hear the truth and people will make you feel guilty for being honest. There will be days where you will feel like a terrible person because you upset someone. That's a natural feeling and it may become very common.

I think the main problem with our society is that we keep forgetting that it is completely okay to get upset and not always be happy. No one can be happy constantly. And the only two true ways to be happy a majority of the time are: To live in a made-up world or to be honest with yourself and those you surround yourself with.