Lying vs. Honesty

ly·ing
Pronunciation: 'lI-i[ng]
Function: adjective
a :marked by or containing falsehoods : FALSE

hon·es·ty
Pronunciation: 'ä-n&s-tE
Function: noun
a : fairness and straightforwardness of conduct
b : adherence to the facts : SINCERITY

"The check is in the mail."
"Your baby is so cute."
"This meatloaf is delicious."

They are lies but on a very small scale. Socially acceptable and even somewhat expected these types of lies are told on a daily basis in most of middle class America. When someone is caught in one of these fibs it is more a joke than a shock. So if this is a "small" lie then what other kinds of lies are there?

There are "fish stories" or "tall tales". These are usually told by a grand parent or a crazy uncle. These involve outlandish claims or unreal situations. Grandpa might claim he caught a ten foot fish while Grandma shakes her head and indicates something around a foot or so. It might be Dad’s account of the time he saved his whole platoon in the last "great" war. Perhaps it is Mom telling the family tales of how your descendants were famous in their own time. Maybe Uncle Milton will regale you with the story about that time he saw the Loch Ness Monster. More lies. These lies are bigger than "small" but not big enough to do any real damage.

Then there are the "misrepresentations" or "misstatements". This might be a car that is sold as barely used but really had a new paint job and the odometer rolled back. It could be a pre election politician claiming to stand for one thing only to begin doing another thing. It is that free gift with purchase that really requires a hefty postage fee. And any guy in a chat room who claims to be a handsome single doctor looking for a relationship. These are lies that are told to distract from the truth. These are the lies fall under the category of dangerous. These are the beginnings of the "big" lies.

A "falsehood" is an outright deception. These are stories told with full intention of covering up the known truth. Criminals tell these in an attempt to keep from going to prison. A spouse tells these to cover up an affair. Children tell these to avoid being grounded. Politicians tell these once elected. These claim the title of "big" lies. These are the lies that hurt not just one but many.

Most people, in the course of their lives, will tell some sort of lie. Some people tell more lies than others. Some grow out of telling lies. Some bury themselves so deep in lies they do not know what the truth is. Lying can become an addiction. It can be something one gives up to become more virtuous. It happens to the best of us. It is an interracial part of the worst of us.

So, what is the worst kind of liar? The kind that does it and then lies about the lies. The kind that play the victim when they are caught in their lies. The kind that cry or get angry and defensive when they are caught. The kind that won't own up to the fact that what they said was wrong, hurtful and misleading. The kind that never grow out of that middle school mentality that if it is said then it must be true.

Why do some people grow older without ever growing up?

Here’s the equations that I offer them all that even a child can understand:

Lies=Bad
Honesty=Good