I try not to lie. No good comes of it. It’s a lot of work. New lies have to agree with old lies or the truth will out, and everyone will know you’re a liar. You have to make sure your lies don’t lie to each other. I’m too lazy spend all that energy defending what was never true. Figuring out what’s true is hard enough without adding lies to the trouble.

Telling an untruth is not the same as lying. People accused of lying are often telling what they think is the truth. It’s not a lie unless you know what you’re saying isn’t true. Lies are bad. Untruths cause more problems. People lie to people; the damage is limited. Untruths deceive nations and institutions; the damage is widespread. Untruths go undetected for years.

Mark Twain said, “There are lies, damned lies and statistics”.

News media report the findings of studies. They rarely report how the “findings” were found. Peeling the onion frequently reveals findings that refute the conclusive summary. That’s how untruth gets reported as fact. Some of these statistical-untruths are accidental, others are deliberate deceptions intended to mislead.

Intent to deceive is lying.

“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”. Beautifully said, and as true now as when Sir Walter Scott first wrote it. Lies rat on each other. They have trouble keeping their stories straight. At some point the tangled web ensnares them and they’re forced to confess. It’s tedious work with no lasting gain. Truth is simple. Lies are complicated.

Why lie?

It’s usually a side-step to facing reality. Typically, liars want to gain the world they wish without doing the work. It’s a form of sloth. They lie to themselves before they lie to others. That’s the most common sort of liar. Professional liars, like certain salesmen and certain politicians, are a different sort. They don’t lie to themselves, but only to those whose pockets they want to empty, or whose vote they want to get. These flim-flam artists are proud of their lies’, “What a bunch of suckers, they’ll fall for anything. They get what they deserve”.

Sadly true. The price of remaining un-fleeced is eternal vigilance. Unfortunately, too many would rather stumble through life seeing only what’s in front of their nose, or believing what ought to be true - even when it isn’t.

Think I’m lying? I got proof. Look at these findings from the SILY Institute, and how ‘bout this confirmation from the ERZAT Foundation.

C’mon, those guys don’t lie!

By K. L. Shipley

Website: https://www.eclecticessays.com