"Do You Swear To Tell The Truth, The Whole Truth, And Nothing But The Truth?"
Lies, lies, lies. Doesn’t it feel as if we’re living in a world filled with lies? I’ll bet you think I’m heading toward a political rant, but relax, I’m not. I’m really just talking about lying and how many different ways people can lie. I Googled it and it was shocking.
According to Google’s AI Overview, there are:
“White Lies: Minor falsehoods used to avoid hurting someone or causing conflict.
Exaggerations: Distorting the truth to make something seem more significant or important than it actually is.
Lies by Omission: Withholding relevant information to mislead someone.
Bold-faced Lies: Obvious and shameless fabrications with little effort to disguise them.
Pathological Lying: A compulsive pattern of lying that is often unrelated to a clear motive or benefit.
Gaslighting: A form of manipulation where a person’s reality is distorted to make them question their own sanity.
Compulsive Lying: Lying out of habit or psychological need often without a clear motive.”
And then AI goes on to state “Other Forms of Lying:
Flattery: Using excessive praise to deceive.
Slander and Gossip: Spreading false information or rumors about others.
Hypocrisy: Pretending to have beliefs or values that one does not actually hold.
Circumlocution: Avoiding a direct answer or making a statement that is not entirely truthful.
Denial: Refusing to acknowledge the truth or one’s involvement in something.
Treachery: Betraying someone’s trust or confidence.
Self-Deception: Misrepsenting one’s own thoughts, feelings, or actions.
Gray Lies: Lies that are false but may be used to bring about a positive impact, often justifiable or in a gray area.
Grandiose Lies: Lies told for personal gain or to project an inflated image of oneself.”
Incredible, right? And so, I ask myself how many of these am I guilty of? Well, I’ve told many a white lie in my day to avoid hurting people. I do believe I’ve used flattery once or twice. I might have been a hypocrite or used self-deception, I’m not sure which, but only as a tool to keep the peace and I’m not explaining that one further. And I hope I haven’t committed treachery, but I probably did sometime in my life. And I consider myself to be an honest person; at least I did before I started writing this blog. Now I have to reevaluate the person I am compared to the person I strive to be.
Reading all this has made me look at the people in my life a bit differently as well, and I can see many categories being put to use that I may not have noticed before.
As you can see, not all forms of lying are evil or done with malintent. White lies are almost kind and compassionate. And who can complain about a gray lie that’s justifiable if it brings forth a positive outcome?
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts about this topic and keep in mind, I'll know if you’re lying.