While the concept that looking at the truth even when it hurts is important isn’t revolutionary in the community, I think this post gave me a much more concrete model of the benefits. Sure, I knew about the abstract arguments that facing the truth is valuable, but I don’t know if I’d have identified it as an essential skill for starting a company, or as being a critical component of staying in a bad relationship. (I think my model of bad relationships was that people knew leaving was a good idea, but were unable to act on that information—but in retrospect inability to even consider it totally might be what’s going on some of the time.)
While the concept that looking at the truth even when it hurts is important isn’t revolutionary in the community, I think this post gave me a much more concrete model of the benefits. Sure, I knew about the abstract arguments that facing the truth is valuable, but I don’t know if I’d have identified it as an essential skill for starting a company, or as being a critical component of staying in a bad relationship. (I think my model of bad relationships was that people knew leaving was a good idea, but were unable to act on that information—but in retrospect inability to even consider it totally might be what’s going on some of the time.)