Truth about Lies

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Truth is a basic fundamental of ethics. Without truth, one can not be ethical. And without ethics; corruption, fraud, theft, and every other aspect of evil flourish.

I have concluded that most everyone lies most of the time. And they lie so often that they don't even realize it. And the only time most people tell the truth is when they believe they can not get away with the lie.

I've dealt with liars throughout my professional career, and I've lied myself enough times to know what I'm talking about.

Consider this: It's late a night when you are forced to go to Safeway for that midnight snack in a Los Angeles suburb. With the snack in hand, you back your car from the stall and you feel a thud. You realize you just backed into another car. Now, you know the right thing to do (but only if you have to.) You get out of the car and carefully look around in the darkness. (A) Nobody saw a thing! So you drive off. (B) You see someone looking in your direction while talking on a telephone in an apartment window across the street. So, you fake writing a note and leave it on the windshield. (C) You see someone running to his car, shouting, "Hey, you smashed my car!" So, you stop and exchange information with him. Sound familiar? Maybe you've been there.

It is more than not admitting your true age, your true gender, or whether you are married. Lying breeds cheating, which leads to product frauds, embezzlement, political corruption, and war.

Every day I see TV advertisements for products that can not work. I see news reports of trademark and copy write violations . I see gimmicks everywhere. Those are lies too, but we seem to tolerate it while diverting the blame to the actual consumer by saying, "Buyer beware." We just blow the lies away, and just seem to accept them.

And when some one actually tells the truth, we are amazed. We hail them as a hero for returning that bag of money they found. Yes, they are a cut above most of us, but hardly a hero for simply doing what is right!

Many of us admit our lies and expect we will be forgiven and trusted, only to lie again. Some minimize or justify their lies by asking, "What harm did it do?" Some believe their lie is not as bad as others. Some say it is our own fault if we were hurt by believing their lie. And some justify lying if it was done out of their self preservation.

You know, I question everything everyone says. I actually expect you to lie because it happens so often. But, when I realize you've told the truth, your character and credibility rises. If continued, they reach a level of trust where I no longer closely scrutinize what you say or do.

On the other hand, if I determine that someone lied (about anything), their credibility with me fades. Although I'll forgive them, I'll never forget or condone their lie. And with each new contact, I'll scrutinize them even closer. And perhaps with time, they might even have their credibility restored.

You know, I'm not really different than you. I don't think you like being lied to. The difference is I won't condone it, and it will impact your future credibility with me. So whether you're friend, family, politician, or the local car repairman....Don't lie to me if you expect me to respect you.
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And as I ponder from the Thought Dock, I recall the ones that have lied to me, and continue to lie to me. And now I have difficulty believing anything they say. So, MacDaddy and the like, if you chose to lie to me, then don't expect my respect.
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