Lying Essay, Research Paper
The whole truth and nothing but the truth. If these were words to live by then some of us be in trouble. Most people make a habit out of lying on a daily basis. Everyone tells a lie every now and then. Most lies are those little white lies, the ones to keep out of trouble, and the stupid ones that make no sense.
There are little white lies that are told to keep from hurting someone else’s feelings. These are answers to questions that cannot be answered with the truth. “Do I look fat?” is the number one question that should always be answered with a little white lie. A person does not want to insult another human being therefore they tell a small fib to keep from harm. No one is going to come right out and say “Yes you look like a hog!” Sometimes the truth is just plain mean and above all rude. The question of whether or not what a person is wearing looks good or not is another significant time to tell a little white lie. Again the person is not going to directly insult the person. This question has no real meaning to it anyway. Usually it is a girl fishing for a compliment. If it is said that they look good then girls typically say they don’t. If it is said that they look bad, then it is best to run as fast as you can. Whether it is Christmas or a birthday, there is always those occasions when a bad present is given. No one wants to admit they hate the gift. This would hurt the giver’s feelings severely. It is known that a gift may always be exchanged or returned, so there is no need to upset anyone. White lies are sometimes unavoidable in some situations.
People do stupid things and lying just happens to fall into this category. It is not the act of lying but simply the times that a lie is used. There are times when a person knows that they are caught doing something wrong so they quickly think of a lie off the top of their head. Like the old saying states, “Caught with your pants down,” falls into this category. A child may be perched o the counter with chocolate smeared across their face, with the cookie jar open and say that, “no I am not eating cookies before supper.” Another famous example is the old ball through a window story. Little Tommy is out playing with a baseball when a window shatters from the force of a flying ball. Outside stands Tommy with a bat in one hand and no one around. Little Tommy then proceeds to say that he didn’t do it. Often it is not only an act that is caught in the lie sometimes it is a thought. A person may be thinking a sexual thought towards another person and then deny it when the other person knows what they were thinking. This also seems to happen when talking on the phone. When there is that dead silence on the other end. “What’s wrong?” is asked and a simple “nothing” is replied. It is known in that silence that one person is too busy thinking to talk.
Why people tell these lies is a mystery.
The most commonly used lie is the big explanation that seldom makes sense to anyone but the liar who seems to have it all worked out in his or her head.
This is the type of lie a person uses to keep from getting into major trouble. This lie is used when a person is somewhere they weren’t supposed to be. It is always funny to hear that they were somewhere else. It never makes sense to say that they were at one place and know none of the details of that place. This lie can easily get a person caught. The nest best lie is the long detailed one describing all the events they didn’t do. This lie always has a time-lapse hole in it that makes the story less believable. There are bold explanatory lies that are told to keep the peace. Like when two friends are fighting and the third friend has the all-important job of keeping them friends. This third friend makes both sides seem suited to what the other friend wants to hear. This helps in situations to make sure that there is no fight in the first place. To add to this section of lies there are those that cause more lies and more problems. It all starts out when someone tries to cover up one lie with another lie that makes the truth so far from ever being possible. This makes it hard to keep the lies going and to remember what actually happened. In some cases like this, a person can get so caught up in lying that it becomes second nature to them. It may be useful at times, but it is not always wise to lie.
If a time arises that a person feels like it is inevitable to lie to spare another’s feelings then by all means keep the peace. It is always best to avoid the stupid lies that everyone knows is a lie. The long explanatory lies lead to other lies that leave a person in a worse situation than before. It has been said and proven that, “Nobody likes a liar.” So the best advice to take is to lie when unavoidable and tell the truth all the rest.