Is there really a degree of honesty? I mean either you are being honest or not. There is no brutality to it. So when someone tells me they are being "brutally honest" I do take that to mean that while they are giving me their honest opinion, it's also a biased opinion.

Also remember that honesty is based on perception. If I show you a blue-green color, you might say honestly that it's green, while I honestly say it's blue. Honesty does not mean it's truth, it just means it's your perception of what occurred without being false.

Someone telling you that your friends are just using you, and saying it because they are a true friend and want to be honest with you...I don't know if that's being honest or not. It really depends on how they say it. I could imagine warning another friend that it seems like their new friends might be using them...but I wouldn't be mean about it, if anything I'd be very gentle about it because I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings.

Seesaw