Free speech is non-negotiable. But it can and will hurt.
This is not a good reason to censor yourself or others.
Free true speech is even more valuable.
If you say things just to be polite or to not hurt someone's feelings, you're lying. You should at least say nothing at all if you don't think you should say truthful things in the moment.
But this is when you're dealing with regular people.
The exception is if you're lying to an archator to save his/her victims. In that case, you've done exactly the right thing. Archators aren't ever owed the truth, but since any lie takes something out of you, feel free to lay it on them anyway-- if you're up to it, and if the truth doesn't put innocent people in extra danger.
Speech, true or lies, has a cost. Free speech isn't free, but it's never as expensive as censorship.
