Reading and Writing Petra, Why do we Lie?

 By Nate Feldman

 

1.         The expression “honesty is the best policy” is something many young children have heard since they began attending school at a young age.  The basic premise being that it is always best if a person tells the truth.  While most societies, traditions, and faiths teach us the value of being an honest person, the reality is the vast majority of people lie, and some people lie as a habit.  So, if we are taught that lying is wrong, why do people do it?  There are different reasons for it.

2.         In many situations, lying is essential for our social well-being.  For example, let’s say you want to maintain a good relationship with other people.  It could be your manager, friends, or even a spouse.  Part of being on good terms with these people requires you to not be 100% honest all of the time.  Your boss may have a new idea that you think is completely terrible.  He or she wants to know how you feel about it.  Should you say directly to them that the idea is awful?  Perhaps if you have a really close relationship with them, you can get away with it, but the reality is most people aren’t that close to their managers, so they need to give an answer that won’t offend him or her so much that they put their position at risk.  The same could be argued for keeping people friends.  They do some things that annoy you, but at the same time you know if you keep telling them this, they might not be your friend anymore.  So, sometimes lying is good to keep relationships strong. 

3.         Now, there are some people who are what we refer to as pathological liars.  These are people who lie for no other reason than they lie about everything.  It’s hard to know exactly what goes into their psychology.  Perhaps their parents are liars, so they learned it from them.  Or, perhaps at a young age, they saw that lying benefited them somehow, so they kept doing it.  Another possibility is that it is something biological, and there is something in their mind that somehow tells them lying is good.  For whatever reason, they lie all of the time, and they are difficult people to trust or be around.

4.         Ideally, we would live in a world where people could be honest all of the time.  If you think my shirt is ugly, well, then just go ahead and say it.  But, that is not the real world always, so people lie for their own benefits even if we are taught from a young age that it is better to be honest.  I’d say it is better to be honest, but if it will hurt you for no reason, then I guess you just have to tell a lie here and there.

Reading for Main Ideas:

Match the main idea with the appropriate paragraph:

A.    Some people lie for no clear reason even if they don’t have to __________________

 

B.     Although lying is bad, it is sometimes necessary to save relationships ______________

 

C.     We are taught that lying is wrong, yet we still do it _________________________