Lying is something that I have never been able feel comfortable with. Obviously, lying about something of great importance makes me the most uncomfortable. But the same holds true lies about trivial matters. My insides twist anxiously whenever I let slip a little white lie. I’ll even internally fret over partial truths I may have told in the past few months. Many who know me will note that I cringe at any degree of dishonesty.
I
anticipate that many will question my opinion: “Surely the occasional white lie
can’t hurt! Everyone does it!” I acknowledge this point, but it is my opinion
that just because humans tend toward a certain behavior, does not mean it is
morally just. I would even go to say that it is quite the contrary. I believe
that the truth is absolutely good; therefore, something that is false degrades
truth, and is inherently evil. Anything that is not the complete truth cannot
be completely good.
People
may point out that being too honest has its downsides; my brutal honesty has
hurt the feelings of those close to me several times. I think my friend was
greatly saddened when I told him that after a day in the sun, his face had the
color and texture of a baked potato. Another got quite angry when I told him I
didn’t give a shit that one of his gerbils had died. Being honest has even
brought me pain, like when I told a large man (probably twice my weight) at the
supermarket checkout line that he smelled terrible and should consider grabbing
some deodorant instead of a large bag of Cheetos on his way out. Or perhaps purchase
a bathtub.
However,
I think all of this is irrelevant. Avoiding lies in order to spread the good of
truth is a great endeavor, which is why I am so averse to lying. Indeed, I
consider those who take to lying comfortably to be far beneath me. These kind
of people clearly lack the conscience to even attempt to prevent themselves
from spewing the evil of untruth. If anything is worse than the feeling after
telling a lie, it is the feeling after realizing you’ve been told a lie.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that people will cease in their dishonest depravity.
An unfortunate
fact is that when anyone tells you
something, you can't be absolutely certain if it's true or not. You are at best
able to gauge their degree of truthfulness only if you know their personality,
ways of thinking, loyalties, and/or motives well enough. Only then can you
recognize the face of deceit and slow the spread of dishonesty. I think that
of all my points, this is the most important take-away.
