You be You.

“I thought I was becoming an idealist.
Turns out, I’m becoming clear.”
Lately I’ve noticed this: I expect people to be on time, honest, to keep their word, say “thank you” for small favors, play fair, have some depth.
When these don’t happen, I feel irritated.
I’ve also started being upfront—speaking with fewer filters, clear and kind.
For a while I wondered if I was being idealistic—or even self-righteous.
But it’s simpler: I’m not becoming unrealistic; I’m becoming clear.
Clear about the standards I choose to live by, and the behaviors that drain me.
These aren’t grand demands; they’re the basics of maturity.
But clarity has a cost: the world won’t always meet these standards—
and may even resent the change they sense in you.
I won’t lower my standards.
I’ll lower my suffering when others don’t meet them.
Takeaway:
Growing older makes sincerity, integrity, fairness, and depth worth more than convenience.
If clarity removes the filters, what naturally falls away—
and what becomes worth holding on to?
And the real test is simple:
Who stays when you remove filters?