Eulogies, of course, aren’t the forum to tell the whole truth about the dearly departed. Only an insensitive dolt would tell mourners in church that, “Larry was a boring man who at times would tell long, dull stories that interested absolutely no one. In fact, if you could bottle Larry, you’d have a cure for insomnia. He also told dumb jokes that nobody laughed at. Truth be told, nobody really liked Larry all that much.” Instead, we say nice things when remembering someone who just died. And this is a good way to operate. The truth can be painful, and who needs more pain at a funeral. And more important, tap dancing around ugly facts increases the odds that someone is going to say something nice about you when your time is up.