One thing I’ve come to accept as a part of human existence is the undeniable fact that people will always lie to us. No matter what. It might be a huge lie that would be enough to break families apart or destroy relationships, or it could be something simple… a little white lie designed just for peace to reign.
Whether you like it or not, we lie every day. Hell, I’m sure you’ve told a lie within the past 24 hours, even though you didn’t really think of it as one. Especially if you saw it as something you had to do out of necessity. Because in most cases, choosing to tell the truth can bring consequences we’re not all that ready for.
There are times when people ask us about how we’re doing, and even though we feel a bit down, we just choose to tell them that we’re fine. While we may feel down, we know that it’s not something major and we don’t see the point of bothering others with it, telling them will only bring about worries and panic.
And then, there are times when we simply tell you what we think you want to hear. Like when you ask how you look, or if you’re gaining weight or losing it. Depending on the situation, it’ll be up to the person to be honest or to lie.
And then, many times, people also lie because everyone knows that it’s not every truth that will set you free. There are some times when people choose lies because it’s easier and it makes everyone happier. It might just be a white lie, but the truth could have more damning consequences. And people are scared of getting punished for telling the truth.
Now, this post is in no way endorsing the telling of lies. It’s bad and ruins lives. I’m just talking here about the little white lies we tell, the ones we think are harmless and the ones we tell for peace to reign. I’m trying to talk about why such lies are important.
Take two neighbors for example, they might not like each other. The feeling might be mutual, but they would never know simply because every time they see each other, they greet themselves with a warm smile and a wave. They even have small talks over their balconies on warm evenings. Yet, in private, Neighbor A might really dislike how Neighbor B uses up the clothing lines every single day. Neighbor B might hate the fact that Neighbor A’s generator is always on for the duration of the night, making sleep almost impossible.
Now, they could easily tell each other these grievances and try to work it out, but for some reason, they keep enduring. They lie to each other and to themselves every day when they smile at each other in greeting. They could say what’s really on their minds, but they choose not to. This could be because of fear of the unknown.
Despite having a dislike for each other, they’re living in peace. And that peace is more important to them than the clothing lines or the generator sound. Because anything at all that could lead to a fight, they don’t feel like they’re up to it. So, they go about every day, having no idea that they’re telling white lies.
So, that’s how it is. We tell white lies because they make us comfortable in a situation where the truth will be more of an inconvenience. And as humans, we’ve mastered the art so well that we no longer see it as lying. We just do it.
So, now that you’ve come this far, have you told a lie today?
