Is Kindness Wiser Than Truth?

One way of being wise is to do things are are better than other things. For instance, it is wiser to save up for what you want than to put it on a credit card and pay heavy interest on it. So, if it is better to tell someone the truth, rather than to let them believe what is false, that is a wise thing to do. If choice A is a better choice than choice B, then A is a wiser choice than is B. When someone has a choice, and makes the worse choice, we say that his choice was not wise, and it was not so wise as the choice he could have made. Isn't that so?

That makes sense with respect to decisions you make about your life, but it doesn't when you're talking about people's feelings. Then wisdom has nothing to do with it.

I don't understand what you mean. How am I using the notion of wisdom to talk about feelings? In general, there is not much choice about your feeling, although it is possible, to some extent to control your feelings, and certainly to control any actions which ensue from your feelings. And it is possible to we wise or not wise about those.

I prefer to know the truth first, then judge it.
So, no.

I tend to think (tentatively) that it is a question of severity of the impact.

The answer to "who are we" is: THE DECISION MAKERS.





David

From what i can surmise the reality is that truth is far more subjective than kindness is and to me that is the point of this proverb. We all have a very unique truth and its personal, cultural and very very subjective. What I may see as blunt another sees as a helpful word and so on. Basically feelings and beliefs are on the line and often ready for the chop. However, kindness is more of a universal understanding. I could go to any country and not speak a word of their language but if someone shows me kindness I will understand it no matter the cultural, spiritual or personal boundaries that exist between us. However if they babbled a truth at me in a language i didn't understand the the meaning and most importantly the intention is so easily lost. So to sum it up kindness is a universal concept whereas truth is very personal and insular concept. So yes truth is important but without kindness and a true understanding of the complexity of the world we live in it is just a very singular point of view projected at whomever and whatever we meet

usually

why is kindness a lie though? ...

I mean honestly? Kindness happens to be the law. Meanwhile..

honesty doesn't even fall under the original ten commandments which say to not lie about another person in a way that the other person suffers penalties.

don't people believe good things about the people they routinely associate with such that, while there may be something bad usually there is still something good?

Kindness is the law.

I hate people. Are you telling me it is either kindness or truth? I don't think I've ever had to be dishonest in order to be kind.

If we check our driver's licenses or our business cards,
thay will tell us
who WE are.





David

No...
My ID card doesn't say anywhere: "you are Mr X..." it doesn't teach me...
Every time I read it it talks about a total stranger. I think the government is the only one who knows who that guy is.

U need to get a better one.

Truth is kindness! If you don't value truth, you must live with lies. We must learn to correct mistakes; that's how we learn. Everybody makes mistakes.

Some people do know what the truth is, for God must be worshipped in spirit and in truth, Jn.17:17. Teaching others the truth is the job of every Christian, and usually starts with their behavior around others. It progresses into teaching why we live the way we do and defense of our actions. But, Kindness is a fruit of the spirit as well as gentleness, Gal. 5. It seems silly to me to use truth without being kind or one without the other, Ps.40:10-11, Its always used in the psalms together. For a Christian to be unkind is not being truthful to His profession, Heb.4:14. Kindness is also a part of God's divine nature and we are partakers of it, II Peter 1:3-7. Reminding people of the truth about their faults must then therefore be done in the proper frame of mind, and since we are all human learning to wait for others to cool off before being cold and callused is apart of kindness we need to get along. Respect of others is key and no one would respect the one who is not a truthful person. Perhaps that's why in the psalms kindness and truth is always usually used in the same verse, God as a loving father will always be of the truth we wouldn't want Him any other way.

Isn't part of kindness being truthful?

No!
Truth is a descent into the abyss.
Telling the truth, and I like the truth, is the opposite of being kind...
...while I speak about my subjective perception of some truisms in general terms I avoid telling the truth to older people children or slower people.
Fun fact, human beings lie on average 200 times a day. Mostly blank lies out of good intentions, that is to say, kindness!

"Are you feeling well dear? Yes, I am good thank you!"
"What are you thinking about? Nothing important, nevermind!"
"Are you lying to me? No of course not, where did you get such idea?"

Cicerone be kind!

The phenomenological manifest image of the world which embodies our cognitive processes for gene fitness and survival of our species versus what the world actually is with a brut endless net of complex information is not intended for us to see the Truth. Moreover, even in the manifest image of the world, the fractal pattern repeats as we brake down even further this manifest image into tribal storytelling via cultural modes that express themselves by pop culture distracting consumerism, the State, and yes, Religion!
In short, we make a resume of the resume to avoid what I call in my own lingo "complexity illness". It ends up in PTSD...

...See...telling the truth gets the thread downvoted!

Your Japanese genes are taking the best out of you...go on follow your destiny!
You or anybody else on this thread making the case for truth have yet to explain why on average we lie 200 times a day! That is, if you want to be truthful, on your scientific explanation regarding why natural selection clearly selected us to be liars...
...oh the irony of ironies, I am the only one being truthful right now, and look how everybody hates it...

My cats can't take from truth what I can...but I also can't take from truth what Truth itself has...to each his own burden of truth. To each his fill! Just enough to avoid madness...mankind is indeed blind to its own insignificance and that will be the end of it!