Lying's Ugly Truth

We’ve all lied. We’ve all cheated. It’s human nature, but there is a difference between a single fib and a sequence of lies. There are reasons why lying is considered morally wrong. Lying can:

•Tear friendships apart

•Destroy any trust people have in you

•Hurt people around you

I have a friend, who shall remain nameless, that lies constantly. In fact, he lies so much that I don’t believe anything he says anymore, and frankly, we’re not very good friends because of it. I feel no trust in what comes out of his mouth.

There are walls that are built between people when they lie. There are barriers fueled by lies and only broken by the truth.

We all know the story about the boy who cried wolf. What I’m trying to say is the same thing. When someone lies, people may believe, but it won’t be long before the truth comes out. People will realize that you lied, and like the villagers in the story, they will come to deny anything you say whether it be the truth or not. In the end, it’s the liar who gets hurt.

What’s worse is when liars bring down others with them.

I have another friend, who will also remain nameless, who is a great friend of mine. We have been friends for forever, but there is just one problem. Whenever we are one-on-one, he is honest, but when other people are present, he will spit out lies, condemning me and praising himself. I try to deny what he says, but he has a strong grip on everyone. They side with the lies. It hurts, and our lifelong friendship is whittling away. Some days I avoid him because I don’t want to listen to the lies, and so a barrier forms between us.

Unfortunately, lying is large part of our society. Politicians lie. Parents lie. Teachers lie. Children lie. But why do we lie? We lie because we want to protect ourselves or others, and we also lie for personal gain.

So what do we do now?

 We do our best to tell the truth and be honest with one another. Honest people are more liked by the people around them, more likely to be trusted, and are proven to be healthier. Try to picture a world where no one lies to each other, no one cheats at games, and no one keeps any secrets. Can you picture it? We can make that a possibility with one truth at a time. Lying is the easy way out. It’s easy to lie, but the truth is hard.

The truth is strength.