When I was little — under ten years old — my mom always told my siblings and me never to lie. She made us believe that lying was evil. Even though she lied on multiple occasions, she would still tell us that lying was horrible and warned us never to be caught lying.
Then, when any of us hit puberty, she would tell us that lying is bad, but lying to someone who trusts you — people who are close to you — is even more terrible. Lies break trust. Again, she lied to us — her children, who were very close to her. According to her, isn’t that terrible?
As I grew older and became more aware, I came to realize that lying is something extremely complicated. We hear about white lies, right? A white lie is often considered a good lie — for example, maybe you lie to protect someone or something. Some people still argue that there is no such thing as a white lie and that all lies are the same, but I disagree with them.
Lying isn't as bad as it seems; it just depends on your reason for lying. If I lie to save a child's life, will it be bad? A bad lie is something like bearing false witness, where someone innocent ends up bearing the consequences.
I have also heard someone use the term “harmless lie.” I guess this kind of lie is the one that doesn't have any serious or major effect on someone's life. For example, my siblings and I used to lie so we could take extra cubes of sugar for our tea. If you ask me, these “harmless” lies are the worst and most dangerous.
Because people see them as harmless and insignificant, they begin to feel that they are no longer bad. And one can easily get used to telling these so-called harmless lies. Some people get so used to it that they don't even realize they lie often; lying becomes so easy for them that they lie even when it isn't necessary.
Now, I said lying isn't so bad, but I still think it's bad — just not as bad as we were taught to believe when we were kids. I feel like no matter how big or small the lies are, no matter the reason behind the lie, it becomes dangerous when you start feeling too comfortable telling lies — when you begin to see it as a normal way of living and do it frequently when you lie so much that you can hardly differentiate your truth from your lie, and when you become too good at lying.
I don't know if I should call it a psychological effect, but some people lie to the extent that they believe their lies. Some can’t even differentiate the white lies from the black ones they tell. No matter how white the lies are, one must never let them reach the stages I have mentioned. At least, that’s what I believe.
Now I totally understand my mom teaching us to believe lying was so horrible when we were kids. Trust me, a child learning how to lie from a young age is not a good thing. For a child, it will be hard to keep the fine line between good lies and bad lies.
So, if you ask me, lying is like alcohol: it is age-restricted and dangerous when misused or excessively consumed, and just like alcohol, lies can become addictive. Even though alcohol can be taken in moderation, one is better off without it. So if you can avoid it, do so.
