6 Reasons You Don't Tell The Truth

We’ve all told lies, even if they’ve been small ones--though I’m sure many of us are willing to confess to having made larger ones. But why do we do it when it can be an impairment on our ability to communicate? Let’s examine a few examples...

The politician makes promises he knows he cannot keep. This seems like a good idea, at the time, as it may potentially net him the political seat he lusts after. He tells the people what they want to hear to gain a short-term advantage. What happens when he doesn’t deliver on his impossible promises? Its always good to shoot for the stars, but its also important to be honest about the possibilities.

The little girl promises through chocolatey lips that she didn’t eat the cupcakes. Unfortunately, for this little girl its obvious she did, but why didn’t she confess? Obviously, she was afraid of the consequences that would follow breaking her mother’s rule.

A mother tells her children that babies are delivered by the stork. A simple statement and maybe not one many would consider lie. But since babies are not delivered by storks it is just that, even if it has good intentions. Sometimes we believe that the person on the receiving end of the information will not be able to understand the truth, so we modify it. Is it our place to do so? Wouldn’t a planned timeline of information serve a better purpose, to slowly inform them?

“Santa Claus is coming to town.“ Sometimes we lie to make things more interesting. Though, if we conceded that it was a mere fairy tale it wouldn’t be lying.

Sharing the truth with someone can be a bonding experience. Sometimes people share intimate secrets with others as a sign of trust. You might be afraid to open yourself up to another person or afraid they will think differently of you when they know this hidden facet of your life.

You may not be able to tell the truth if, in fact, you do not know it. If your boss is extorting money from your workplace and upon being asked about it you fervently deny such charges, are you lying? If you didn’t know the facts and to the best of your knowledge those words were true then no. But were you telling the truth? The truth is factual and the facts indicate that your boss was stealing money from the company. Are truth and fact the same?

For better or worse, I’ve posed a lot of questions throughout this article, I’d love to hear your truth in the comments below!