Infidelity: The Case For Staying Silent

There are times when staying silent about an affair may serve all for the better. Later I will write about the case for lying about an affair. Staying silent is the case for this comment. Because kind and courageous honesty is what I recommend for most situations in life it is difficult to justify dishonesty. However, here is an example of where staying silent may be the best thing. Larry got drunk one night during a celebration at a Las Vegas conference. His evening ended up in the bed of a strange woman he had met at the celebration. The next day when he realized what he had done Larry felt mortified. This was not the kind of thing Larry did. He contacted the woman and questioned her about any VD or AIDS she may be carrying and had a blood test himself before making love to his unsuspecting wife. Then Larry sought counseling. He realized that he was responsible for what he had done and wanted to face whatever dragons that may have unconsciously driven him to drinking too much and bedding another woman. In counseling he learned his subconscious motivation for behaving irresponsibly and faced it. The result was a more loving and more responsible Larry. He never told his wife of the one night stand.