DEFINE AN HONEST ANSWER

There are a lot of definitions of "Honest Answer."  At least two of them come from the Bible.  The most succinct one is "Make your <yes>, yes and your <no>, no." [Matthew, 5,37 and James 5,12].  Straightforward.  No BS.  Saves every single bush in the vicinity from being beaten to death.
Somewhat earlier than Matthew and James, a wise person wrote in the Book of Proverbs this definition:
'An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips." [Proverbs 24, 26]  Now that one I like.  I like it because it is rooted in the heart and transmits the truth of the heart to the interrogator.  It is not a reality that has to be confected in the brain before being thrown on to the table in a take it or leave it attitude. It is made of pure, unalloyed ME wrapped around the truth being sought by the person who is seeking it from the responder.  It goes beyond historical fact and even goes beyond the amount of time that two people have known one another.  It is always a sign of assurance and of mutual trust.  It does have varying levels of significance, of course.  The level of trust invested in asking directions to the nearest drug store is not the same as that involved in seeking career advice.  Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that an honest answer does convey a level of intimacy that an evasive response does not.  An honest answer is a sign that the speaker is placing a deep level of comfort in the receiver of the statement.  It is a comfort that presumes a level of trust and intimacy that may or may not continue after the event, but existed before the rupture.  Presuming that the relationship continues, it can more than likely be also presumed that it will grow.  Honesty will become a mutual element of the relationship and the seed of love will flourish and more than likely the flower will never wilt.  We all have examples of this reality in our lives.  The examples do not break evenly at 50/50, for sure.  That's why they are so precious.  That's OK.  The examples of complete disaffection don't break at 50/50 neither.  That's why they are not the end of the world.  The good ones and the bad ones are not what drive me crazy.  It's the spectrum between the 25% here......and......the 25% here that I can't stand.  Don't you feel the same way?  Don't we all agree that a kiss on the lips (or the refusal of one)  is worth a day full of kissing your cousins?  [All due respect to my cousins!]  Should I really plan on going to Tahoe?  Heee.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, young and old and everyone in between, that's my $0.02 for today...and if you are not satisfied, I will refund you the amount between here..and..here.
Now you know why politicians never tell the truth.