Deceiving is Believing

Deceiving is Believing

You come through the door to find a look in your friend's eyes, the truth is out. All this time, all those lies; all of it just to make sure that they would not find out, all so they would not develop that shameful look in their eyes. As you walk further into the room, you realize that there was no way to reverse all that has happened, knowing that there was no way to change the one fact that remained, the fact that you lied. Everybody lies, all the time, whether it is rooted from good or bad intentions. It causes problems, to say the least. The average person tells four lies a day, or 1,460 a year for a total of 88,000 by the age of 60, and the most common is: "I'm fine." So why do people lie? It all comes down to the phases of one's self and trying to look good both to ourselves and others. Regardless of how one looks at it, bald-faced lies are detrimental, as they deteriorate the trust and intimacy of one's self and others the glue that forms society. Whether it is a white lie, a superficial lie, or a big lie, it will affect one's self and those around them.

How does lying affect the intimacy of a relationship? Lying is by far one of the most delicate and damaging behaviors possible in a committed, cherished relationship. Some say that intimate relationships are based upon love, charm, or need, but trust is the foundation in any affectionate relationship. What is the ideal way to destroy trust? Tell lies. An example comes from the tale of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.” The moral of the story, in essence, is that someone who lies not seldom forfeits trust. The fable ends with the deceiver being eaten up by the same wolf whose presence he had lied about. There are different forms and integrities of lyi...

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...mately become true. One may feel that his or her self esteem is heightened as a result of self-deception but in reality just creates more anxiety and stress. By lying, it creates a perception of what is now required of the person. If one cannot achieve what he or she claimed to be able to do, then it leads to compulsive lying, which ultimately not only hurts one's self but others around that person.

Lying is an intrinsically dishonest practice. Society depends upon trust. Lying corrodes the social bonds and the trust upon which humans rely upon for their continuity. If one cannot trust the people around him, he cannot work with them. Lying breaks that trust, which damages the fabric of society, which hurts one's self and those around him. We are an essentially social, dependent species and therefore we must, as a rule, be honest and truthful with one another.