Lying is an act of concealing the truth with the intention to mislead. While the objectives for lying vary, it never fails to cause pain or disappointment. Sometimes we wonder why people lie at all when it is less complicated to just tell the truth. Lying undoubtedly ruins any kind of relationships. When we find out that someone whom we consider close to us lies, we begin to lose trust. Trying to get ourselves to trust completely again is not a simple task to do. When we feel betrayed, we tend to feel mistrustful and think that the person who fed us lies will likely do it again.
There are plenty of reasons why people lie. I think that self esteem is a huge factor. Normally, when we lie, we almost always have a motive. Usually, there are things that we want to lie about simply because telling the truth will not be favorable to us. Some of the typical reasons given by those who frequently lie are: they don’t want to hurt the feelings of their loved ones, they want to make themselves more likeable, they don’t want to be in trouble, and because they will gain something by keeping the truth.
At one point or another, we all have told lies. Children, especially, choose not to tell the truth because they are not very much aware of the consequences it will bring.
White lies or kind lies are falsehoods of information, while often considered to be harmless or even beneficial, can, in the long run, be more destructive than the obvious black lie. White lies are frequently justified as being used for “the greater good.” I believe in some cases a white lie is told to avoid the pain of honesty, constructive conflict, and emotional vulnerability.
While white lies are generally considered to be somewhat acceptable especially if told to avoid unnecessary conflict, lying is best discouraged. The act of lying is proven to be habit forming particularly when we can get away with it. The frequency and seriousness of the whole act oftentimes increase when we get so used to it. In short, our conscience tends to be relaxed over time, therefore, we lie more and we become chronic liars. When we can lie with ease, there are other things that are likely to happen. Thieves, cheating spouses, and dirty politicians are all undoubtedly liars.
When the intensity and frequency of lying becomes a habit and any specific reason is absent, it is time to seek the help of a professional. It is important to know the real reason behind lying and what is stopping us from dropping the habit. Resolving issues that originated from lying is not only for the offender’s sake but for those whom he has close relationships with.
I was taught as a child, “If you lie, you steal.” It is so much easier to tell the truth, once you lie, that lie carries on and on and on. White, black, red or orange, a lie is a lie and eventually you will get caught up in your web of lies.