I think you can't find an adult who has never lied before. If someone like that exists, I would love to meet them person.
Because there are just so many forms of lies with different reasons, intentionally and unintentionally (although this one is something I heard from someone watching a movie. It had to do with love and confession of feelings. But to me I don't think someone can lie unintentionally; if it's unintentional, then I don't think I can consider it a lie.
So many lies that I feel humans can no longer live without lying.
Among the different types of lies, we have the one called a lie of omission. It's when someone deliberately chooses to leave out some parts of the truth to paint a picture to their liking and make the truth or reality seem to be something it is not.
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think a lie of omission is straight-up gaslighting, lol.
To me, I think an outright lie is still the same thing as a lie of omission. The omission isn't what matters. Because both of them have the same aim, which is to hide the truth. No one is lighter or more evil than the other. They both cost trust.
Some people may think a lie of omission is better because it feels righteous, or it makes them feel better about themselves, or makes them think they are better than those who lie outright. They would say they didn't lie, they just didn't talk. But like I said, “tomayto, tomahto”
I remember when my siblings and I were little, my senior sister was an expert in telling lies of omission to save her neck.
And sometimes it worked for her. Like how she would send us to get something, and when my mother asked who touched it, she would say it was whoever she sent on the errand and leave it at that. Or when my mom asked her to do something, and she would send one of us.
My mom would ask her if she did what she told her to do, and she would say yes. The only time my mom finds out the truth is when she does further investigation.
I have people and friends who have told me lies of omission, and I treat them the same as every lie.
The only thing that I can say actually feels different about a lie of omission and an outright lie is that an outright lie can be easily caught, but a lie of omission hides under the appearance of honesty. Makes it even feel justifiable. It might feel like a safer path, but it leaves scars in the long run.
So whenever I am tempted to tell a lie of omission, I remind myself that it's just another face of dishonesty. If I were going to lie would lie outright and not do it in a way that might lead me into the delusion that lying by omission isn't bad.
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