Why I Hate Lying
I often ponder on the concept of lying. Within my thoughts, I somehow associate lying with jokes. I think that a lie, just like a joke, is way for people to say what they really want to say without being vulnerable. And as much as it shames me, I do admit that I lie a lot of times whether I am conscious of it or not. Nevertheless, I pride in comforting myself by believing what most men of wisdom claim that nothing in this world is ever completely false, even a broken watch is right twice a day.
Thus, I have come to the understanding that I do not hate liars but only the act itself. I do not despise the person but I despise his or her lies. And after much contemplation, I have realized that I deeply loathe the act of lying because of three things; the existence of numerous kinds of lies, the consequences of lying and the experiences I personally had with regard to lies.
Lying is defined in many ways and actions. A lie is a deception. It is an untruthful statement. To lie is to actually say something one knows is false with the intention of taking it as something true (Carson, 284). There are so many types of lies and hence, there are so many ways to fool or be fooled (Adler, 435). For example, a person can lie by omission. It is when an important fact is omitted deliberately leaving another person with a misconception. Or a person can be treated like a little boy or girl by using the lie-to-children deception. This lie is also called euphemism because it is way of making any subject more acceptable. Another example is perjury. Perjury is the act of lying or making verifiably false statements on a material matter under oath or affirmation in a court of law or in any of various sworn statements in writing. Perjury is a crime because the witness has sworn to tell the truth and, for the credibility of the court, witness testimony must be relied on as being truthful. There are also lies that seem so common people are not aware that they are actually doing it. The first is bluffing. Bluffing is an act of deception that is not usually seen as immoral because it takes place in the context of a game where this kind of deception is consented to in advance by the players. This lie is common especially when gambling. The better a person bluffs, the more times and money he or she wins. The second one is exaggeration. Exaggeration is when the most fundamental aspect of a statement is true, but the degree to which it is true is not correct. The next lie is misleading. Misleading is when a person tells a statement that is not an outright lie, but it still has the purpose of making someone believe in an untruth. Finally, my favorite of all lies is jocose lie. Jocose lies are lies which are meant in jest and are usually understood as such by all present parties. Sarcasm can be one example of this. Thus, with so many ways of lying, it is so hard to trust just about anybody. As pessimistic as it may sound, even close friends and family members do lie and betray one another.
The truth is that the consequences of lying do far more damage and effect that most people actually realize (Mahon, 619). Basically, when a lie is said, the most obvious results will be revolving around the liar. The consequences of lying commence the moment the lie is made regardless of whether or not the lie is discovered or not. If the lie is discovered, the speaker is somehow labeled or ostracized for any future statements that person will make. Moreover, the discovery of a lie undermines the trust given which is a biding factor in the interactions of every person. People mostly believe in the goodness of every person. But when a lie is discovered, the thoughts and actions of the person who lied are no longer believable. The trust that is granted to that person is either diminished or removed completely. Secondly, if the lie is not discovered, there are far deeper, moral and psychological consequences for it. People who get away with lying at first may feel guilty somehow. But then, a lie becomes two lies. Then the two lies become five. Suddenly, without being aware of it, lying has already become a habit. The moral walls within each person that distinguishes right between wrong in terms of lying is destroyed. Psychologically, the person who becomes accustomed to lying does not anymore see lying as lying but just a normal means of communicating with another person. The hidden danger here is that the consequences for lying also have consequences and so on.
Despite my concerns on the numerous types of lying and its consequences, the greatest reason for my profound hatred of lying is rooted merely from my personal experiences. Though, I can use up the entire space of this paper to talk about my experiences with lying, there are some instances that rise above the rest. Mostly these are instances when people lied to me and I end being betrayed or heartbroken. Every person goes through these kinds of experiences in their lives. And most of time, these experiences hurt. The lies that bring the pain of having a heart broken or the agony of betrayal seem all mixed up into big beating. These things can change the lives of a lot of people making them not be the same persons as they were before.
Lying is not really complicated. Lying is not even that hard to do. It is so easy to cry, “Wolf, wolf!” Quite to the entertainment of the liar, people will come running immediately to his or her aid. Does it really matter if a person’s nose grows longer for lying every once in a while? There are so many kinds of lies but usually, a person only gets one chance for others to trust him or her. Lying is simple but the consequences are dramatically incomprehensible. Furthermore, lying can sometimes be fun and harmless, but when it hurts, it is so unbearable it changes a person’s life completely. People may get away from lying, but they do not realize that lying is like a quicksand. A person does not know that he or she is already caught in it. The more a person struggles, the deeper and quicker he or she is buried.
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WORKS CITED
Adler, J. E., “Lying, deceiving, or falsely implicating”, Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 94 (1997)
Carson, Thomas L. (2006). “The Definition of Lying.” Nous. 40:284-306.
Mahon, J. E., “Lying”, Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd ed., Vol. 5. Farmington Hills, Michichigan: Macmillan Reference, 2006
