In recent times, a truthful person has become a scarce person to find. Saying the truth in certain situations is now termed as “shooting oneself in the leg”
In corporate organizations, lying has become the order of the day. In a bid to keep customers, business people say a couple of “white” lies. Unknown to them however, lying doesn’t solve any problem, it only compounds it. And the result of this is seen not now but eventually in the future.
Parents too make it really difficult for their children to say the truth. For instance, some parents flog their kids for little things like visiting friends or talking to boys (for females). This usually indirectly causes the child to be a bit withdrawn and he/she also resolves to lie about anything she knows might make her parents beat her.
The time has come for parents to really teach their children and not just flog them. A child who doesn’t know the hazards of talking to boys but just understands that her daddy would flog her if she does it has not learned. And she knows nothing. You are also giving her a thousand reasons to not trust you. She will eventually end up trusting the wrong people and start seeking advice from them. This is when she starts making terrible mistakes and bad decisions.
Although a lot of things push us to tell lies, it remains really wrong.
A person who lies shows that he is a coward who is afraid of what the truth might bring. And to run away from facing the consequences of his actions, he lies.
A person who lies is an unreliable person who should never be trusted. You are saying a lie to someone who trusts you enough to ask you in the first place. Your lying to him is a breach of trust and it makes you unreliable.
Once a person finds out you lied to him in the past, he doubts your integrity. Nothing you say to him counts because he no longer believes in you.
As the saying goes; one lie gives birth to many more lies. And a person who lies once gets used to lying and becomes a skilled liar. He becomes a deceiver. And usually when you become so good at lying, you begin to lie for no reason at all. You just lie about everything. The result of this is that nobody trusts you anymore.
The idea of trust sounds vague now but some liars can testify to the importance of having people trust you. When someone who I know to be a skillful liar asks me to borrow him money, I never give him. Because I know that although he says he would return it in a week’s time, I know that he would not. He might be really serious but his previous lies have stuck to my brain and I know instinctively that this person is not to be trusted.
The other thing that make people resort to lying is to save their ego. To preserve their pride. And so instead of admitting to living in a shanty, we deny it and say instead that we live in a duplex. Instead of admitting the cloth we are wearing isn’t ours, we say instead that we bought it from one boutique.
If in sincerity, we really want to save our pride, we should learn to say little. Nobody will beat us for not answering certain questions. If you do not want people to know where you live then try as much as you can not to talk about it instead of lying.
However, I believe there’s really nothing we should be ashamed of. This is what courage is actually about; admitting you live in a shanty, wearing your clothes even though they are out of fashion. No one can beat you. What reasonable people look at is the fact that you are a smart and responsible individual despite how poor or rugged you are. Some people live in mansions but are still into prostitution. Some are the prettiest yet they have terrible attitudes.
We should learn to be true to ourselves and others. God hates lies. And as you know the devil is the father of all liars.
Yes you might get certain favors or jobs by lying. But the question remains this; are you really happy? Is this really where you should be?
So as God’s children, we shouldn’t be so scared about saying the truth, let God guide our paths. It’s better to say nothing, or to deviate from the question than to lie about it. That’s what God meant when he said be meek as a dove but wise as a serpent. Instead of lying, apply the wisdom that God has given to you. But remain true to yourself at all times. Your integrity matters treat it like gold.
