Day 114
Although we are told to say the truth and to be honest from a very young age, just by observing and mimicking adults around us, we quickly learn to do otherwise. Everybody lies. As you were reading that sentence, you might have been saying: “Not me, I’m as straight as an arrow, I always tell the truth”. Do you?
Lying is so engrained in us that we don’t even realize we’re doing it. Let’s begin with the start of a conversation. When someone asks you: How are you? Most of the times, if not always, you will answer: “Very well, thank you, and you”. Did you really evaluate your state of mind before answering? We answer out of habit. So, might there be other patterns we follow unconsciously that lead us to lie?
Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy are obvious examples of organized lying. There is a whole industry cashing in on the creation of illusions. And Santa Claus personifies the biggest lie that ever was. Around Christmastime, you find him everywhere and parents are using him as a way to manipulate their children, to make them be good: “Santa Claus only comes if you’ve been good!”.
We are generally very fair about lying. We lie to our partner, our children, our parents, our siblings, our friends, our colleagues, and even to ourselves. Everyone eventually gets a little taste of it. But why do we do it?
We lie in order not to hurt other people, to make ourselves feel or sound better than we are, to protect people we love. We lie to cover up a mistake. We lie because sometimes telling the truth does not seem like the best option.
In Egypt, doctors lie to their patients, so that they don’t lose hope. All over the world, politicians have made lying part of their profession. So is lying inevitable? Is it essential or is it a hindrance to happiness? When is it wrong to lie?
CBC aired a documentary called The Truth about Liars. According to the data found, lying is essential to our happiness and our survival. Moreover, our ability to lie is directly related to our level of success. Research found that we lie in one conversation out of four that lasts over 10 minutes.
So, I guess not all lying is wrong and the little white lies here and there are actually normal and perhaps even desirable. But some lying definitely feels wrong and although I am not really sure where the line needs to be drawn, I strongly feel that there should be one.
Maybe those little white lies, you forget about them as soon as you tell them. As a rule, if you’re carrying guilt or a negative feeling because of a lie, it can’t be that positive and it is certainly not conducive to happiness.
Link to The Truth about Liars: http://www.cbc.ca/video/#/Shows/Doc_Zone/1242299559/ID=1233752062
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