The Truth About Lying
Lying is rampant. Today it seems to be commonplace.
The news flashes with stories of Tristan Thompson, Jussie Smollett, the Catholic church sex abuse scandal, political and judicial figures, and even entire Netflix specials (Fyre Festival) on deception.
The common denominator in some of these stories could be lies, but that leaves most of us with the desire for the truth to be revealed.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act" -George Orwell
Perhaps we have a new revolution on our hands.
No one wants to be lied to. But many times, the truth can be met with resistance. There is a part of our brain where things sound so good, that we are led to believe lies. Things are literally too good to be true. A Forbes article titled, “Why We Suck a Spotting Liars” stated, "Brain-imaging studies show that when we have a personal stake in the outcome of an event, our brain automatically includes our desires and aspirations in our assessments".
Everyone has motivations that get in the way of Truth.
This urged me to think of times I have twisted the truth for my own personal gain. In high school, I often “omitted details” of plans so that my parents would let me to go places they otherwise would not allow me to, if they knew the whole truth.
Later, after college, I caught someone who I thought was close to me in a lie. I remember thinking: "I get that you wish to be a good person, but don't lie to me to make yourself believe that you actually are". So baffling to me is the fact that this person created something so extravagant, that they began to believe it themselves. So I thought about it. And I realized something:
When we lie, the person we initially deceive is ourselves.
Who we think we are is a false impression. The opposite of genuine. This keeps us in a fantasy and out of reality.
And then the question: Who knows you, if you do not even know yourself?
"There is beauty in Truth,
even if it’s painful.
Those who lie, twist life so that it looks
tasty to the lazy
brilliant to the ignorant
and powerful to the weak.
But lies only strengthen our defects.
They don't teach anything, help anything, fix anything or cure anything.
Nor do they develop one's character, one’s mind, one’s heart or one’s soul."
-Jose N. Harris
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