The Truth is out There
Everybody has told a lie. Whether its a big lie or a small lie, at some point in everyone’s life, there has been a lie. Contrarily, everybody has been the victim of a lie.
Anyone who says otherwise, is a liar. Some lies result in great pain, other lies are never discovered. I am a horrible liar. I make a very conscious effort to tell the truth whenever possible (and appropriate).
Maybe it’s my Catholic upbringing and my fear of eternal hellfire damnation, but I like to think otherwise. While my moral and spiritual beliefs have assisted in shaping and molding me into the person I am today, I like to believe it’s also something else.
I like to see people happy — my family, my friends and the other people in my life. I once had a roommate tell me that he lived with the eternal optimist. And through that optimism, I have come to the belief that people are better off with the truth.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not candidate whose purity could claim the Holy Grail — I have fibbed. I’ve told a few big ones and a few little ones. But, I don’t recall ever having been caught in a big lie though, because I think I’ve confessed all the major ones before I had time to get caught.
My stomach becomes nauseated and my thinking becomes fogged — guilt consumes me.
And, even more troublesome is knowing that I may have deceived someone who trusted me. Therefore, as a person who likes the truth, I am deeply troubled by lies. I don’t know what’s more bothersome, lies told to me or lies that I witness.
To see a lie, to hear a lie, to be told a lie, is strange, especially if you know the person is lying. I think one of the most common untruths must be from those that embellish their accomplishments.
Whether its admitted or not, just about everybody wants to be seen in a positive light and respected by their peers. Afraid that people won’t like or respect them for who they are, embellishment and untruths take control.
Then there are those that lie so often that they begin to believe themselves. There are those that become so entangled in exaggerations that there is no clear line what is and what is not.
Most troubling is that lies are all around us … they’re everywhere When people embellish, deceive and lie, I think the ones they hurt the most are themselves. I think most of us can tell when someone is lying, and rather than embarrasses a person with a confrontation, we just stop trusting them. And, when we can’t tell if someone is lying, we probably don’t care, because really, it’s just not that important.
Ultimately, I have discovered the best way to get away with a lie, is to avoid lying altogether.
by Brian Barsuglia
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