Be True to Yourself

There are some topics of conversation that we are told to avoid at all costs when meeting new people. The first is religion and the second is our sex lives. These are sensitive topics that can greatly damage one’s image of another and completely destroy a potential relationship, be it friendship or more intimate.

The truth is however, that waiting for a later stage could cause even more problems. I have found that once I know a person well enough I curb my opinions in order to better match theirs. I allow myself to be more subtle than I usually would because I fear that our friendship would not be able to handle the strain that the conflict would bring to our friendship, thus rendering the relationship completely superficial.

And so, I believe that opinions should be stated boldly initially and if the other person can maintain a friendship with you after that then the friendship has some merit. It saves you from lying to a potential friend and it saves you from wasting time on a relationship that will never have any depth.

The trick to stating your opinions is that one has to be accepting of the other person’s opinion. It is a sensitive, intimate moment and one cannot trample through this conversation without the willingness to accept that not everyone agrees with you. Once you realize that you can be friends with people who don’t always agree with you and realize that you are not always right then there is chance for growth and a relationship with a person as opposed to a mask.

It isn’t always easy to hear other people’s opinions, and it can be difficult to allow them to believe in something you believe is incorrect. However, do you truly believe that your opinions, and therefore yourself, are more superior to someone else’s?  Can you honestly say that you know more than the other person?

It comes down to this, always be true to your opinions and beliefs and always be open to other people’s thoughts. It is the only way to learn about yourself.