Truth & Lies?

Question

In grade school, we were taught that lying is bad, but we were also told 'If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.' When is it best to tell the truth? Are there ever circumstances where lying is the better choice for both parties involved?

Answer 1

I think lying is an option when to tell the truth would hurt another person or persons who do not deserve to be hurt. We withhold the truth and/or tell a lie to protect the wellbeing of a child. A mother does not tell a child the awful truth about the dad he somewhat recalls until he is an adult and/or has the maturity to handle the truth.
The phrase "If you don't have anything good..." is a tranquilizer invented by some body of peope with a self interest and fed to generations of children and adults. We report people who are using others, who are stealing from the company, who are cheating in a marriage w/children, who are breaking laws that matter (it is subjective) and we have opinions about crooked politicians, children out of wedlock, a relative we know to be a scoundrel, a daughter or son engaged in gang activity, drug sales and manuf., a mafia don, etc. People are supposed to have opinions based upon education, life experience and morals, values and ethics that have stood the test of time.
It is almost always best to tell the truth and let the results fall as they may. People want to help people who are clearly honest and upfront. No one should incriminate themselves because of the ambition of most D.A.'s and so should plead innocent and refuse to talk without benefit of an attorney. Otherwise, I don't see a downside to telling the truth.

Answer 2

There is a thin line between white lies and important lies. Its up to you to distinguish whats right and whats wrong. I think the best way to go about things is considering putting yourself on the other side and think well would that be something that is important for me to know.

I think that white lies can be harmful too it just depends on your own personal stand point. I wouldn't want to hear that what I had cooked was good yet it tasted like dog food smells. I would want to know the truth so that I could improve on those things and its just about personal preferences I suppose. If someone was super sensitive I wouldnt tell them that their shirt looked terrible because it really doesnt effect me and I wouldnt want to hurt them so I would not exactly lie but bend the truth a little.

You cannot control how someone else is going to take things use the tools you have in front of you.

Answer 3

Yes. I believe that sometimes, to avoid circumstances that could be harmful to others i.e. Someone is asking you at gunpoint where a friend is hiding and you lie and say you have no idea. That is ok. Now, lying just because you can is stupid and will only get you into trouble. Plus, usually telling the truth will be better for both/all the people involved.

Answer 4

Not saying anything at all, isn't lying...don't confuse the two...

The truth is best...lies almost always backfire and come back to haunt you...if you aren't comfy with the truth, then say nothing if you can get away with it, but also be aware of what may happen if the truth comes out and it wasn't from you...

The best rule of thumb is simply to not do things you feel would hurt others or get you in trouble...then there's no need to worry about "should I lie, keep my mouth shut, or tell the truth"...

Answer 5

People lie b/c they are afraid to suffer the consequences of the truth. Be who you are and nothing else matters. Don't ever lie, face what you did, and if you are wrong, admit it. Lies are never good. Or don't say anything at all. I look at it like this, if they ask me for my opinion, then I am going to tell you, lying is wasting both of our time and breath. If they want to hear a lie, then why and the H E L L would they ask. The truth hurts ACCEPT IT AND AND GET OVER IT!!!! My kids ask me if I like something, and based on their level of experties, I tell them the truth no matter what. My mother asked if I liked her hair, I told her no; it added 15 more years on her and the style is not becoming. TO ME, it was nicer when......My friend, do you like my outfit...well, your tummy looks a bit bloated, you should try wearing a blazer to cover up the mid area. WHY LIE???

Answer 6

Speaking from my own expectations I want honesty at all costs. At least if you have total honesty you know where you stand with that person. Im not talking about little things like others have suggested, eg, if you are at your girlfriends house and she asks you was dinner nice...you say yes. Why upset her when you dont need her, but in saying that, I wouldnt go on to tell her its the most wonderful meal you have ever had because she will make it again for you....lol. Im talking about the big things, the things that tells what kind of character you have. If you are in a relationship and you have fallen out of love with your partner, you dont pretend to love her, you tell her the truth so as a solution can be worked on. If a person doesnt know the truth then they have nothing they can work with. Only with the truth do you know where you stand with a person. If a person is hell bent on protecting me feelings, not wanting to hurt me, then how in the hell would I ever know his/her true feelings. I trust a man/woman who will tell me the truth no matter what....except about my cooking....lol. I can deal a lot better with the truth. I will give you an example. When I was married I knew there was something not quite right...I would ask him, he would tell me I am imagining things. For 6 years I had this really uneasy feeling that I thought I was going mad. He was telling me everything he thought I wanted to hear. I didnt want to hear lies...I wanted the truth. His lies made me feel like I was going insane. When I finally found out he was cheating on me, while it hurt me, I felt so relieved because I knew I wasnt crazy. It was only then could I work on the problem because I finally had the truth. Had he been truthful with me in the beginning, I could have gone on a lot sooner to find a man who really loved me and didnt feel the need to cheat. While you think you may be doing a person a favour by not telling them the truth, unless you are in their head, then you dont know what is best for the other person...so yes, the truth is always the best.

Answer 7

Tell the truth when you can but little white lies are ok. If it's a relationship and you have done something really bad you shouldn't tell the person if it would hurt their feelings or kill their self esteem but you should not act like you didn't do anything wrong either.

Answer 8

There is no better way to lie then to tell the truth. And since the truth is usually better than the worse lie, no one may ever believe you in the first place, so its always better to tell the truth in the first place than to tell the truth of the lie once dicovered in the first place anyway. A rumor is only true if someone believes it, so if no one believes you when youre telling the truth,then what good is a lie. So remember to be true to thy ownself.

Answer 9

You have to evaluate the situation. If it is something that will hurt another person then you say nothing. Lying can turn around and bite you right in the butt if you get caught. Yes, we all tell little white lies but it isn't right either.

Answer 10

When it comes to a realtionship there should be NO lies, because you will always get caught and thats when ALL Hell breaks loose. As for friendship there is nothing wrong with a little white lie like "Yes you look great in that dress or in those pants!". You get the point right? :)