Why are people so afraid of the truth?

People seem to be afraid of telling the truth for fear of hurting someone’s feelings. People seem to be afraid of hearing the truth for fear of having their feelings hurt. I would rather say and hear the truth, so there are no deceptions. I hate trying to second guess what people are “really” saying. If I hear the truth, I can act on it and make changes if necessary. If I tell the truth, I am not misleading anyone. It just seems so much more simple and easy and no one has to live in a state of ignorance.