The consequences of lying
I don't mean to sound like a schoolteacher scolding her students, but sometimes it feels like people don't think through things when they are telling a lie.
I am not necessarily talking about the polite lies you tell someone, because you don't want to admit that their food sucked. Although you might also re-think that strategy. My grandmother lives with the opinion that I simply love her cherry soup (don't ask) because I never had it in my heart to tell her that it makes me sick. As a consequence, she makes a point out of cooking cherry soup whenever I go to visit. And while I no longer offer rave reviews, I still didn't gather up my courage to tell her that I find that soup absolutely disgusting.
The above is an innocent example of what happens when you lie. It's actually the best possible outcome of lie: people actually believe you. But even then the consequences might not be good for you - because people will act like you are telling the truth and keep on giving you that soup you hate, keep on calling you names you hate, keep on being late with giving you your money back, etc.
However it's even worse when people catch you lying. Beyond that they have lost their trust in you (which, depending on the lie, may be for good or just for a while) and will not believe you even when you are telling the truth. You know, like that boy who cried wolf for the fun of it and then found himself alone with the wolf because no-one believed him anymore. That happens in real life much more than you think.
It seems very overreacted when you see it in a movie. I know that because when I watch a movie where a scenario like that happens, it feels fake. But it does very often happen to me - I catch people telling lies, and while I do not make dramatic scenes about it, I end up questioning everything they say. Which is why nowadays whenever I feel tempted to lie about something, I do a double take and ask myself if I really want to do that.
I am not necessarily talking about the polite lies you tell someone, because you don't want to admit that their food sucked. Although you might also re-think that strategy. My grandmother lives with the opinion that I simply love her cherry soup (don't ask) because I never had it in my heart to tell her that it makes me sick. As a consequence, she makes a point out of cooking cherry soup whenever I go to visit. And while I no longer offer rave reviews, I still didn't gather up my courage to tell her that I find that soup absolutely disgusting.
The above is an innocent example of what happens when you lie. It's actually the best possible outcome of lie: people actually believe you. But even then the consequences might not be good for you - because people will act like you are telling the truth and keep on giving you that soup you hate, keep on calling you names you hate, keep on being late with giving you your money back, etc.
However it's even worse when people catch you lying. Beyond that they have lost their trust in you (which, depending on the lie, may be for good or just for a while) and will not believe you even when you are telling the truth. You know, like that boy who cried wolf for the fun of it and then found himself alone with the wolf because no-one believed him anymore. That happens in real life much more than you think.
It seems very overreacted when you see it in a movie. I know that because when I watch a movie where a scenario like that happens, it feels fake. But it does very often happen to me - I catch people telling lies, and while I do not make dramatic scenes about it, I end up questioning everything they say. Which is why nowadays whenever I feel tempted to lie about something, I do a double take and ask myself if I really want to do that.
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