Why we are Lying?

Why do we need to lie? What is the reason why we are lying? are we getting something once we lied? Are we safe from the responsibility of lying since the truth doesn't prevail for a long time?

According to deception expert, Dr. Paul Ekman, a lie is "an act in which someone makes a deliberate choice to mislead another person(s) without giving prior notification of that intention."

It means that lies are created to misdirect the person from the truth. Lies have usually had advantages yet lots of disadvantages, one advantage of lying is to hide the truth from those greedy people. In simple terms, one of your hungry classmates asked if you have still food left in your bag, yet you lied since you reserved it for yourself.

Lying hasn't heavy punishments once done in simple matters however it's a big deal once we lied that affects other people, and our environment, and creates issues. Is there an exception that we lied to? Maybe yes, maybe No? since every action had its consequences whether good or not.

Like the third law of motion stated, in every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction which means once we lied, we patch the mistake we've done by lying but that patch won't last long since there's no secret that doesn't reveal.

What are the reasons why we are lying? Do we have good intentions why we did do it? Are we lying so that we can belong to a group of people? What are the consequences of lying? There's no such person in this world that never lied, I believe in that since in simple things like when we are asked if we are okay, then we said we're fine though the truth is we're not.

We are lying to hide the truth but as long as we lie about ourselves, the more we believe in that lie. In the end, we no longer distinguish the lie from the truth. Some people lie to protect someone, they have good intentions to lie so that they can protect that certain person from the painful truth.

For an instance, a family member that doesn't say the truth to his or her family about his or her condition lies about it since he doesn't want his or her family to worry, in the end, the condition had been critical which leads to an unexpected event.

Another example of lying to protect is you saw your best friend's partner cheating on another person, you decide not to tell what you saw since you don't want to hurt your best friend. The action temporarily solved the problem yet everything became a mess when the truth was revealed, in the end, you are the one who will get the punishment since you did the wrong thing.

Maybe we think that lying can solve anything but the truth is it worsens the problem. Our intention is good that's why we lied but our actions brings nothing but more problems, that's why as early as possible don't hesitate to tell the truth even if you will receive such punishment.

I understand that we are afraid, to tell the truth especially if we knew we will receive criticism, it's a natural mechanism of humans to lie but we should put it on proper instances since not all the time we need to lie.

Before I end this article, let me share to you this quote I've encounter about lies.

I believe that it is better to tell the truth than a lie. I believe it is better to be free than to be a slave. And I believe it is better to know than to be ignorant.

H. L. Mencken

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