The Truth about Lying
TimeWatch Editorial
December 23, 2015
Alison Kornet wrote an article in Psychology Today which bears the title, “The Truth about Lying.” The article was published May 1, 1997. Here is what she says in the third paragraph of that article.
“Leonard Saxe, Ph.D., a polygraph expert and professor of psychology at Brandeis University, says, "Lying has long been a part of everyday life. We couldn't get through the day without being deceptive." Yet until recently lying was almost entirely ignored by psychologists, leaving serious discussion of the topic in the hands of ethicists and theologians. Freud wrote next to nothing about deception; even the 1500-page Encyclopedia of Psychology, published in 1984, mentions lies only in a brief entry on detecting them. But as psychologists delve deeper into the details of deception, they're finding that lying is a surprisingly common and complex phenomenon.” Alison Kornet, “The Truth about Lying.” Psychology Today
The article is indeed worth your reading, but today, perhaps we should look a little more closely at the motivation of most lies. First, people lie to hide the truth. That lie is often an act of self preservation, or of exoneration. In other words, quite often, we determine that the lie is justified because you feel that you cannot reasonably bear the consequence of your deeds. To tell the truth, to admit to your wrongdoing would further degrade your reputation in the eyes of those whose respect and admiration you crave. So you determine to lie. The result of which is that often, this determined lie becomes truth after a while. The years pass by, and the only record of the event that you remember, is the lie that you told. Soon, so much time has passed that you begin to believe that you really are the person you wanted others to believe you were and your entire life is then predicated upon that original lie.
Notice we have not dealt with the professional liars. Those who, because of their employment or, perhaps, their political or administrative ambition, find it necessary or convenient to manipulate the facts, lie purposefully. There is no accidental circumstance involved here. Let me be clear, this category does not only apply to politics of for that matter corporate entities, it applies across the board to those who seek advancement through the revision of the facts.
As terrible a result as described above, there is a more troublous motivation for lying. The belief that untruth is truth. That which motivates has been predicated upon a myriad of false premises that when linked together, create a tapestry of deception that is almost impossible to detect. The plausibility of the argument is strong because the facts are described as “relative.” There IS no standard truth, you argue, for all truth is applicable only to one’s experiences. This relativism provides a certain fraudulent calm amidst the storm of life. Even though there is no real peace, the lack of catastrophe seems to be enough.
This creates a permanent state of untruth. John 8:44 says “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
So the father of lies is happy, and rewards this allegiance to error with the gifts of temporary pleasure. All seems well. But the greatest measure of deception is immoveable conviction. The pathway to truth lies in an understanding of the fundamentals. What are we, where did we come from, what is the true standard? When these are sought, diligently sought, lying will cease, and truth will reign.
Cameron A. Bowen
