Fake has become normal.

So normal that when someone speaks honestly, people get uncomfortable.
So normal that truth sounds rude.
So normal that sincerity feels suspicious.

We live in a time where fake smiles are polite, fake concern is expected, and fake agreement keeps the peace. We scroll through fake lives, read fake news, watch fake confidence, and slowly accept it as reality. Not because we believe it’s right — but because it’s easier.

Honesty, on the other hand, has become risky.

Say what you really think and someone will say you’re too harsh.
Say how you really feel and someone will say you’re negative.
Say no and someone will say you’ve changed.

Somewhere along the way, truth stopped being a virtue and became a problem.

We’ve learned how to soften everything. How to wrap our words in layers so no one feels uncomfortable. How to smile instead of speak. How to say “it’s fine” when it’s not. How to pretend we’re okay, connected, fulfilled — even when we’re not.

And the strange part is this:
The more fake becomes normal, the more honesty offends.

People don’t doubt fake anymore. They doubt truth.

They don’t ask, “Is this real?”
They ask, “Why are you saying this out loud?”

Relationships suffer from this too. Many of them are built on convenience, not truth. On appearances, not depth. On not rocking the boat. We call it peace, but often it’s just silence. We call it kindness, but sometimes it’s avoidance.

Being real takes effort.
Staying honest takes courage.

Because honesty has consequences.

It might disappoint people.
It might cost you approval.
It might shrink your circle.

And yes — it might offend someone.

But here’s the thing we don’t like to admit: not everyone is offended by honesty. Some people are offended because honesty removes their comfort. It removes the illusion they were enjoying. It forces clarity where they preferred blur.

That doesn’t make honesty wrong.

It makes it inconvenient.

I’ve noticed how hard it has become to stay real without being misunderstood. How quickly honest words are labeled as cold or unkind. How often truth is expected to come with sugar on top.

But I don’t want to live like that.

If someone wants something sugarcoated — they can buy candies.

I’m not here to decorate the truth. I’m here to live it.

This doesn’t mean being cruel. It doesn’t mean saying everything without care. Honesty doesn’t have to be loud or aggressive. It can be calm. It can be gentle. But it must be real.

There’s a difference between being honest and being careless.
And there’s also a difference between being offended and being confronted.

Not every uncomfortable feeling means someone hurt you. Sometimes it means you were told the truth.

Fake harmony costs more than honest tension. Fake connection costs more than solitude. Fake kindness costs more than respectful distance.

And I’m tired of paying that price.

So yes, I choose honesty. Even if it’s misunderstood. Even if it’s not popular. Even if it comes with consequences.

Because living fake is heavier than living real.

At the end of the day, I’d rather be disliked for who I am than accepted for who I pretend to be. I’d rather lose people than lose myself. I’d rather stand alone in truth than surrounded by comfort built on lies.

Fake may be normal now.

But I don’t want it to be my normal.

GK

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Published by georgi.kisyov

23 thoughts on “Fake Is Already Normal”

  2. Unfortunately fake or grey area honesty is the way today. Social media has made it worse creating a person you are not. Saying the truth can be painful and people don’t want to hear that anymore. Everybody is offended by something. We are all paying the price for this in everything we do. I have heard so often it blows my mind “you are to direct, honest sometimes” What the hell does that even mean. This post is at the top for this weeks best post award! Nice job

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    1. Thank you so much — you said it perfectly. Social media really does reward performance over truth, and clarity gets mistaken for harshness. Being “too honest” usually just means someone wasn’t ready to hear it. I appreciate you reading this so thoughtfully, and that means more to me than any award.
      GK

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  3. Great post! Totally agree! Truth and transparency communicated with love are the basis of my relationships. However, I am not winning any popularity contests 😆 That’s ok because ultimately I will answer to God.❤️

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    1. Thank you so much. I love how you said that — truth and transparency with love really do change everything. Popularity fades, but answering with a clear conscience matters far more. I appreciate you sharing this.
      GK

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  4. I didn’t realize just how normal fake was becoming until this weekend, when my teens said, “It’s AI,” after having made simple mistakes. Of course, it was a joke, but it poses an interesting thought process about what’s expected of us and just how genuine we are allowed to be.

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    1. That’s such a sharp observation. Even as a joke, it says a lot about the pressure to appear flawless — as if being human needs an excuse now. Thank you for sharing this; it really adds another layer to the conversation.
      GK

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  5. “I’ve noticed how hard it has become to stay real without being misunderstood. How quickly honest words are labeled as cold or unkind. How often truth is expected to come with sugar on top. But I don’t want to live like that. If someone wants something sugarcoated — they can buy candies. I’m not here to decorate the truth. I’m here to live it.” Honest and refreshing.
    And “Fake may be normal now. But I don’t want it to be my normal.”
    Great post and so true of life today. ~ Rosie

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    1. Thank you, Rosie 🤍 That means a lot coming from you. I’m really glad those lines spoke to you — they came from a very honest place. Your words always remind me why choosing truth, even when it’s uncomfortable, is worth it.
      GK

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  6. Well, Georgi, you kept it real and honest in this piece and even threw in a dash of humor—so kudos to you. I think I’ve reached a point in life (maybe it’s less about age and more about maturity) where I’m learning to simply be myself, flaws and all, while also taking full responsibility for my actions and reactions. I do my best to follow in my Heavenly Father’s footsteps, and trust me, He’s fully aware of my imperfections and still accepts me anyway. 🙂

    I really appreciated what you wrote here. When “smooth” becomes the standard, truth can start sounding like an interruption. I also like how you separate honesty from harshness, being real doesn’t have to be loud, but it does have to be sincere. And that line about “fake harmony” costing more than “honest tension” really hit, because it’s true: pretending may keep the peace on the surface, but it slowly erodes trust underneath.

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    1. Thank you so much for this — I really felt it. I love how you named that shift as maturity, not age. Learning to be ourselves, flaws included, while taking responsibility for our reactions is a deep kind of honesty. And yes, when “smooth” becomes the standard, truth does feel like an interruption — you captured that perfectly. I’m grateful you took the time to share this.
      GK

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  8. We live in screens, apart from one another. Some have grown so accustomed to this unfortunate novelty that a mere presence can feel like an intrusion. Since climate has become an over-arching concern, every drop of rain and flake of snow is political, and with politics a fracturing force, we, unless sitting around our own dining room tables, self-censor and preface every thought. Away, Georgi, and for what it’s worth, that’s my bit of reasoning to explain what is fast becoming a benign world that prefers infantilism over truth.

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    1. That’s a powerful way to name it. When presence itself starts to feel like an intrusion, something essential has been lost. I agree — the constant need to preface and soften every thought drains honesty of its strength, and truth gets treated like a threat instead of a foundation. Thank you for adding this depth to the conversation; it really made me pause.
      GK

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      1. I’m glad that line made you laugh 😆 Sometimes a little humor helps the truth land. And yes — when things feel reversed like this, choosing truth really does become an act of freedom.
        GK

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