Sometimes people praise Trump for “telling it like it is.” Really?
Fact: Trump often lies or gets things wrong.
What I think people mean: “Trump speaks without a filter” or “Trump speaks without regards to “feelings.””
Now that might be true. But is that a good thing?
I know that I often bite my tongue for many different reasons:
1. It what I am thinking really accurate? Often: it isn’t. My assumptions can either be wrong or incomplete. I might have facts wrong, and from time to time, I make logical errors (“this might not follow from that.”)
2. Is what I am saying really necessary? True, this person might be “fat” or “unintelligent” but why is it my responsibility to point it out?
3. Is my phrasing the best way to phrase something? Or, can I say it a different way to be more effective? How is the person taking what I am saying?
I know that good coaches phrase things differently to get better results: example, “don’t miss” puts the word “miss” into their player’s mind; instead they say “make this” which puts the word “make” into their mind.
On the other hand, I am not going to lie either. For example, I cannot, in good faith, tell a person with average athletic ability that they will be in the Olympics.
Life of an old goat 