The many virtues of Lying

(We’ve been fed with the virtues of truth since childhood. But what about the virtues of lying?)

How would you feel if someone told you were not a good person? Or that you don’t look good? Or that you’ll never make it big in life and die a mediocre?

Not so good, eh? It’s always easier to hear good things about yourself than be faced with the bitter truth (this is not to say the above hold true for you). Which is why I say - lying is not all that bad.

To be specific, there are three kinds of lies – the white lie, which doesn’t really harm anyone (even does some good at times), the black lie, which is unforgivable and scars the trust individuals share and the gray lie, which can’t be confidently categorized and is perceived differently by the giver and the receiver of the lie.

It is the white lie and to some extent the gray lie, that I refer to when I say lying is not all that bad.

Some white/gray lies are rather harmless

Human beings are sensitive creatures who derive confidence from appreciation and admiration from others. Sometimes, it is difficult to fathom if the two were genuine or superfluous. But that does not matter much to the heart. The brain may intervene and warn you “He’s just being sweet. That was such a lie.” But your heart is still reveling in the thought that they cared enough to lie. So lies make us happy.

There was a short story I read in school, "The Price of Flowers" by Prabhat Mukhopadhyay that better illustrates my point. It was a story of a poor little girl in England who had an ailing mother. Her brother was in the army and had been sent for battle to India. The mother believed that the author had a magic ring looking into which he could see people afar. One day the girl asked the author to lie to her mother that her brother was alive by pretending to gaze into the ring. The author obeyed. And only hearing those few untrue words, the mother's health was back and she soon recovered. Now didn’t the lie do more good than harm?

Moreover, one person’s lie can be another person's truth. There are only few absolute truths in the world.

When an onlooker encounters a child working in a factory he is quick to condemn it and urge action towards his schooling for a better future. For him, it’s true that the child deserves a better childhood and a better life and it’s abominable that he should be made to work at such a tender age. Hence, ban child labour.

For the kid though, it’s definitely not a pleasant experience. He hates being exploited like a slave but the labour feeds his family. It feeds his hunger. That’s his trurth. Hence, "I would like to have another option but please don’t ban child labour till I get one".   

Bear with me when I say this, but the whole world is living one lie or another.

Imagine your life without lies. No fiction or movies would exist. Except maybe documentaries, though they too show truth only from the filmmaker’s eyes – it may be not be the whole truth. What about jokes for that matter? 

Now don’t all these sources of fun and entertainment take away our stress? Lower stress means a healthier and happy life – and isn’t that what we pursue all our lives?

Economically speaking, lies generate employment. Apart from fiction writers and movie makers, people involved in the advertisement business, the PR business and even lawyers live on lies ;) :-  

Consider these advertisements, for instance – Fairer skin in just seven days (Fair and Lovely) or Kills 99.9% germs in your mouth (almost all toothpaste ads) or longer smoother shinier hair in the first wash (shampoo ads) and so on.

If they start speaking the truth, companies will shut down and millions would be unemployed.

 
Finally, it takes imagination and a lot of creativity to cook up lies and that in itself exercises your brain cells hence reducing your chances of age-related brain disorders and you can lead a longer life. So, lies help you live longer too. 

(Interestingly, the fact that I am trying to justify lying when I don’t think lies can be justified, is a lie in itself )