Lying can be put in to categories, which in my opinion is sad. A lie, is a lie, is a lie. No matter how minuet you think that lie is, generally the person you lied to will be effected negatively. There is the white lie, and the preposterous lie. White lies are generally on the smaller side. The person telling the white lie believes that the victim will not be affected negatively by such atrocities. An example of a white lie is the all too well known, “it wasn’t me” lie. Generally used by children to get out of trouble. We are all guilty of such lies. The preposterous lie is the more serious lie, and in my opinion does the most harm. A great example of this would be cheating. There are many examples of cheating such as cheating in a relationship, cheating on a test, or cheating yourself in the gym. All these have negative effects on the moral of the perpetrator, as well negatively affecting the victim, more so than the perpetrator.
White lies are absolutely everywhere. No matter who you are or how “holy” you have become, lying is a part of society. It has become human nature to lie. If we analyze children at the youngest age they are prone to lie. “I didn’t do it” is the greatest example of such lies. While children are taught that lying is bad from a very young age they do it without hesitation. Does this mean that their parents lie around their children all the time? Or simply has it become such an acceptable part of society, that we no longer are morally conscious to such blemishes? Another great example of a white lie is my particular favorite, “No hunny you don’t look fat in those jeans.” This lie brings on personal gains for the individual lying, and on the surface it seems like you are being nice. This “white lie” will not be detrimental for the victim, but let’s look at it from another perspective, and dive a little deeper. While that individual is going to believe you, what happens when someone else is honest with that person? Now the victim feels betrayed, hurt, and ashamed. Very strong emotions for something that was originally small in nature.
No matter who you are, or where you sit on the concept of lying, the preposterous one is the most vicious and disheartening. If you have been a victim of such lies then you know how personal and vicious these attacks can be. Sadly, the reasons such lies are derived, are for personal gains. Victims of preposterous lies will find it hard to trust anyone again. More importantly the individual lied to will start to blame themselves, thinking that the individual did something wrong. Cheating is a great example of this. Whether it’s cheating on a test, or cheating in a relationship, both of these can harm in very different ways. Cheating on a test doesn’t necessarily affect anyone but the person committing the act. Morally the individual has been brought down a couple notches. Most individuals have a conscience which lets them know right from wrong. The act of cheating on a test numbs this natural occurring feeling which in the long run makes it easier for the individual to lie. Cheating in a relationship negatively affects the victim. While I personally have been a victim of this many times, I can say without hesitation, it affects your trust with everyone. Preposterous lies are malicious, and are set on nothing but destruction. While it’s obvious that the victim will be negatively affected, the individual caught in the act will undoubtedly suffer negatively from this as well.
While it seems like everything about lying is negative, there are positives to be taken from it. If we completely abolished lying from our culture, just think of the dramatic effects it would have. From a child’s aspect, the individual would lose out on a great number of childhood experiences. Santa Clause wouldn’t exist, the tooth fairy wouldn’t be around, and the Easter bunny wouldn’t leave eggs. All of these are very important to the development of children. A more serious example would be at the top of our government and our military forces. There are just some things people do not need to know. A great example of this would be the day “shock and awe” took place in Baghdad, Iraq. While on that day the American populace knew that military force was being used, they had no idea there were Special Forces teams embedded in that country for months. Had the American people been told the truth, the operation would have been unsuccessful. There would have been no element of surprise. World War two is another great example of this. When the third Reich would show up to a house and ask for Jews’, stand up citizens would say no. The effects from lying far outweighed the effects that could have come. In that time Germans knew what was happening to Jews in that region, and the fact of death doesn’t even come close to a lie.
Trust is a hard thing to achieve. You can’t just automatically trust an individual, it takes time. Not days, or even weeks, but months, maybe even years before a good network of trust can be achieved. Once that cycle is broken, one time, no matter how minuet the lie is, it affects the whole cycle and trust begins to break down. Trust is arguably the most important part of any relationship or friendship. Without trust there would be no friendships plain and simple. While such lies can be considered a positive, let’s not forget how destructive the preposterous ones are. Obviously lies can’t be weeded from our society overnight. This epidemic has to strong of a hold on us as a people. Arguably it has become a part of our culture as Americans, and a big part of our society.
