Brad Blanton: Honestly, Just Tell The Truth

Not only is lying for protection acceptable in the 1600’s , as seen in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, but also in modern times. Lying for protection today can be seen in relationships. For example the many couples may use the phrase “ You look great”. Sometimes it’s better to not always speak every thought. “Thought broadcasting, or saying every little thing that comes to your mind, can be really damaging to a relationship.” (Stone) Or perhaps there is a situation where one partner is struggling and the other just doesn’t care saying words like “I understand” creates empathy and can stop a fight that could lead to a break up.”Empathy… is the most important part of any relationship.” (Stone) As the quote shows, false empathy is sometimes needed to keep loved ones near. Finances are also a common topic to lie about in relationships. To lie or not to lie? That is a difficult question when on this subject. Often times if it’s not a big deal lying is alright but ask the question “How much of an impact is this going to have on my relationship and my partner's life.” (Marusic) Because money is an important topic choosing to lie on large purchases can be detrimental to a relationship. Sometimes when a significant other is out their partner may think they are up to no good. Perhaps a surprise was being planned for their partner and they didn’t want them

Many people wonder is it wrong to lie or are there some situation where lying is the best option? In the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, Mark Haddon shifts Christopher’s outlook on honesty and changed his outlook dramatically. Many people, including Christopher, believe in the statement “honesty is the best policy.” However while Christopher becomes more independent, he realizes that in some situations being dishonest might be the best answer. When his father lies to Christopher, Christopher follows his father’s actions and starts to comprehend when he must lie. Throughout the course of Christopher’s life, he begins to realize that lying is not always the wrong thing to do.

Quote 1: “The public defender, trying to get him off, called him a dumb animal,” I told her. “He said it would be like tying a hog down in that chair and executing him-an animal that didn’t know what any of it was all about. The jury, twelve white men good and true still sentenced him to death.” (26)

Can dishonesty be valuable if it was used to achieve desirable outcomes? Is lying considered justified if it was involved in a dangerous situation? It is not always bad to lie. As children, we were continuously taught to be honest. We have grown to be implanted with the fact that lying is unacceptable but admissible. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, some might argue that Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit cause loss of trust and negative consequences. However, Odysseus’s dishonesty and deceit do not always have bad intentions, it can be seen when Odysseus and his men escaped out of Polyphemus’s cave to get out of trouble and when Odysseus received help from his men to get closer to their objective.

Throughout life, we sometimes don't take the time to think about what comes out of our mouth. We feel the need to tell a falsehood to make ourselves look better or feel better. After all, we don't want to accept the harsh truth of reality that is lives are not perfect. Sometimes we even forget why we're even lying at all. However, we are not alone as human begins it's in our nature to lie.

One of the greatest commandments written in history is “Thou Shalt not lie.” From a young age we have been taught of the negative effects of lying. We are taught, as toddlers, not to cheat on tests and punished for our dishonesty when caught. But as we grow older we discover that lying is not as terrible as we were raised to believe. Sometimes lying is safer than the truth. Lying helps us to protect the well-being of family and friends. Deception and secrecy are two major themes of Lois Lowry’s The Giver. While being dishonest is against the rules in The Giver, the survival of the community is dependent on deception and secrecy. Lying is written into the daily lives of the people of the community, and used so commonly that people are not aware

In “The Way We Lie”, author Stephanie Ericsson gives her readers a list of ten lie we sometime use it for a purpose and sometime we did not realize we did it. She starts out her story with four lie she used in the same morning as she is starting out her day. She explains these lie are intentionally use to minimize the complications and make the day goes much smoother. However, she questions whether these lie can actually make an impact on the person who carry out and the person who receive the lie.

When it comes down to it the way you lie and the purpose behind your lies, are dependent on your moral and ethical values as an individual. Whether you are five years old or fifty years old, you have told a lie at some point in your life. Despite the inability of us humans to avoid lying, we all lie for different reasons. According to “ The Truth About Lying”, Judith Viorst believes in various types of lies such as protective lies, social lies, truth-keeping lies, and peacekeeping lies. In the very first sentence Viorst explained how difficult it was for her to write about this. “I’ve been waiting to write on a subject that intrigues and challenges me; the subject of lying. I’ve found it very difficult to do.” (Viorst,

In the Bible, James 3:8, quoted is “But no human being can tame the tongue, it is a relentless evil, full of deadly poison.” This quote says that lying happens frequently; no one can resist it. It also says lying is deadly, which is also shown in the Bible within the story of Adam and Eve, when the serpent lies to Eve, convincing her to consume the sacred fruit. In modern society, lying is a common practice. A person may lie protect themselves, or to gain something wanted. This may be due to religious diversity or the decay of respect in society.

Stephanie Ericsson begins her explorative essay, “The Ways We Lie,” with a personal anecdote of all the lies she fabricated in one day. She told her bank that a deposit was in the mail when it was not, told a client that the traffic had been bad when she was late for other reasons, told her partner that her day was fine when it was really exhausting, and told her friend she was too busy for lunch when she just was not hungry, all in the course of a day. She shifts from talking about herself to talking about everyone, claiming that all people lie, exaggerate, minimize, keep secrets, and tell other lies. But, like herself, most still consider themselves honest people. She describes a week in which she tried to never tell a lie; it was debilitating, she claims. Furthermore, telling the truth all the time has serious consequences. She postulates that lying, though a form of hedging, must have some merit. She cites a broad definition of a lie from Webster’s dictionary, and asserts that this definition includes many types of lying.

Who disagrees with this is Immanuel Kant because he says that “under no circumstance should a lie be told”. This is wrong because it might get difficult when you say a lie and you forget what you said and that's why sometimes you can't tell lies. My argument can speak to others is I can show when it's a good lie and when it's a bad time to lie. Lying can make you look really bad if someone finds out what you said or who you said it to because that person can go tell the person that what you said about them.There are certain situations in which lying can actually be better to lie than to tell the

In Ericsson’s essay she wrote about why lying threatens to become a “cultural cancer”. To explain why we lie, she tells us about different types of lies, and how they can still be harmful despite having good intentions. Ericsson is correct that lying threatens to become a “cultural cancer”. Lying threatens to become a “cultural cancer” because it can lead people going to a wrong direction. It can turn statements into excuses that can help people manipulate others. Also, it can make a person win over another person.

Since the beginning of time, it has been commonly agreed on that lying is wrong. Think about the beginning of the Bible, the serpent lied to Eve about the tree of good and evil and through this lie mankind now must live with sin. The Bible itself begins with talking about lying at the literal beginning of time. Parents, teachers, friends and religious organizations state that lying is wrong and a sin. Is lying always bad? The real truth is that sometimes lying is the only answer to fix what life throws at people. The lies that Huckleberry Finn told with the intent of saving Jim are justifiable. While on the other hand, the duke and the dauphin angered the readers every time these con men opened their mouths. What makes a lie good or bad? Is

In our society, many people assume that lying is something wrong to do; they use to say that you always have to tell the truth no matter the situation. I believe those people are certainly wrong because it is impossible for any human being to always tell the truth, Mark Twain said “Lying is universal—we all do it.” This world would be so bizarre if everyone would speak only the truth. It is just something that would never happen, but people are fooling themselves thinking that lying is wrong, that we must tell the truth always.

Society generally deems lying as wrong, but there a grey area remains present when one considers whether a lie truly is moral. There are two sides to every story and multiple factors one must consider.. The phrase “little white lie” downplays the moral backing to the general teaching that lying and deceit are bad. The lies that are categorized in that area are considered beneficial in the context that they are intended to “help” an individual, such as with esteem, or to not hurt an individual 's feelings. The white lies can morally start to develop and spiral into worse and worse scenarios. Then they are no longer considered white lies. The situation surrounding the lie being told is incredibly important to how “moral” the lie is considered. Back to the case of the murderer, is it more ethical to serve the prison sentence or is it more ethical to stay and take care of the child who has no one else. And how lying about the murder case can benefit the