It all starts with a fib, then gets bigger and bigger. It’s gets easier to do it, so we continue more and more. A white lie that seemed so harmless at first becomes toxic, and before we even know it, our truths are deluded and our lies become our truths. Sometimes, because we know the gravitivity of the truth, we become afraid that it will not be portrayed accurately to the other party. We lie not to comfort the other party, but ourselves. After all, a sweet little lying kiss to the cheek is better than a truthful slap to the face.
Take the Watergate scandal for example. Men from the CRP (Committee to Reelect the President) attempted to burglarize the Democratic headquarters in order to try and wire-tap phone lines and steal important documents to help President Nixon win the reelection. Although it seemed as if Nixon was innocent, he was not. People later found out that the CRP were paid to do this for Nixon. He deliberately tried to gain an advantage and in the end, it backfired on him instead. The Watergate scandal made everyone question whether or not the government was ethical. It may have been different if he was unaware of the espionage, but after that incident, it was clear that he was the one who tried to destroy the evidence that proved him guilty. Like Terry Pratchett said, “A lie can run ’round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” This just goes to show that anyone– even the president–can lie, but still not get away with it.
Even among middle school and high school students, lying is typical and is no longer a surprise anymore. Do they get away with it? Yes. Do they get caught? Also yes. Whether it be because of fear of getting in trouble or for the sake of getting reprieve to have extra time to work on things, lying seems to be the number one choice because it gives us the “easy way out.” However, that’s not always the case. After lying so many times, it becomes a habit that just comes to us naturally. This kind of behavior by students make them neglect what really matters in the end: the truth. Lying may have been thought to be a smart choice at first, but when it comes down to the core of it, that lie will be eventually unraveled by others, and in this case, it would be other students who are sick and tired of things being unfair because of one lie we may have committed.
Similarly, in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, she was deceived by the the Big Bad Wolf. The Big Bad Wolf did all he could to sidle up to her, and she, being the innocent little girl, fell into his trap. As the story progresses, he does end up eating both Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, but due to his carelessness, the huntsman found him out and ended up saving the girl and her grandmother. Though the wolf was successful in cultivating lies to entice Little Red Riding Hood, it was all for naught because the truth still came out in the end, no matter how good he might have felt at first.
Yes, not all lies are uncovered and brought out to the light and might cause irreparable repercussions, but that doesn’t mean it never will be uncovered. Carlos De Luna for example, was executed for a deed that he did not do, but with all the evidence stacking up against him, there was no way to prove his innocence. People perceived his truths to be lies and that’s what ended his life in 1989. It was until 23 years later that it was found that he was indeed innocent. Regardless of how much time has passed, how much evidence there is, it all comes down to one thing: there’s no way we can get around a lie.
Telling a lie is like sipping black coffee–we can put as much sugar in there as we want, but its bitter sweetness always has a pungent aftertaste that will stay there until it’s eventually washed out by crystal clear water that helps us to regain our sense of taste again, only to repeat the cycle once more.
