Personally, one of the main reasons I lie is to avoid punishment.
"Sarah you better have cleaned your room like I told you to!" My mom says firmly.
"Uhhh yeah mom its done." I respond.
In this common example, I took the easy way out. I avoided punishment by simply lying. No one got hurt, everyone is satisfied. Lying may provide short term success, yet the long term repercussions can come back to haunt you.
The next day, my mom confronts me in my messy room, and I get in MORE trouble than I would have been in had I just told her the truth upfront.
Another reason why people lie is to keep a good reputation. Joe, the top golfer at his high school, is playing golf with a group of friends. On the last hole, he skulls his drive into the woods. As he approaches the ball, which is embedded in the tree roots below, the stench of loosing the match pierces his nostrils. Slyly, while his friends aren't watching, Joe kicks the ball into the fairway. At the end of the day, Joe won the match, and his excellent reputation remained untouched.
In both everyday examples, a lie was told either to avoid punishment or keep a good reputation. I couldn't help but think of the Watergate Scandal. This displayed both of "lyings" core ideals. Nixon denied involvement in the Watergate Scandal to avoid being impeached and presumably, thrown out of office. In addition, to keep his acquired status of an honest and just politician, he deceived the American people by claiming innocence.
To wrap it up, I can't officially justify if lying is right or wrong. I can tell you, with loads of practice ;), that it is quite easy. Lying, whether we like it or not, is a significant part of society today. There is no way around it. In the job office, sports field, on the politicians desk, and even right in your own very home, it happens.
Sarah- I like the examples you use in this post because they show that lying is not black and white. In the first situation, it caused the liar to suffer harsh consequences, like in a children's story about morality. But in the second example, no one was harmed by the lie. The truth about not telling the truth is that it isn't always a bad thing. I don't think people are brave enough to admit this because they don't want to be lied to, themselves.
ReplyDeleteI like that you mention the more severe consequences of lying and that telling the truth will get you into less trouble then if you are caught lying. However in your second example you say, "At the end of the day, Joe won the match, and his excellent reputation remained untouched." But if "Joe" has to lie in order to keep his reputation, isn't there a deeper issue there? If Joe is with his friends, he shouldn't feel the need to lie during a casual game of golf. In my opinion, the example of you lying about your room is completely different and is an example of a little lie that everyone tells once in a while. Just something to think about...
ReplyDeleteGreat job on your blog! It was very entertaining. One thing I might suggest is adding a link to background information about the Watergate Scandal.