At Our House, We Call That Lying…

 

My summer gig at the local state park is a great job. I get much needed exercise, lots of natural wonder, and enjoyable interactions with the public. That is probably the most fun part. Sometimes too fun. Although most of our time is spent educating, sometimes we just like to have fun, often at another’s expense. My trail buddy has a knack for teasing children. “Make sure you stay on the beach area. We keep the alligators down river beyond the bend. ” It’s 4:45. If you are going to float the river again, you’d better hurry. We turn the river off at 5:00 PM.” And the never gets old, “Did you see the elephant at the end of the trail?”

Now to be honest, no one really believes it for long. I mean, who would let people swim in a river with alligators around the bend? One time it backfired. My friend’s grandkids were out hiking the trails one afternoon and he mentioned the elephant. Then he said he was just kidding. His 7-year-old granddaughter look him straight in the eyes and said, “Pop-Pop, at our house, we call that lying.” Most people don't put kidding in the lying department since it is really just a form of joking. The kids at school call it pranking. Joking or pranking is usually not intended to deceive, just to get a reaction. The truth is made clear shortly afterward. Well, at least it should be.

Lying is something different. It is an intent to deceive. It is often used to cover up the real truth, either because it's damaging or embarrassing. We don’t even have to speak to deceive. I have students who, when they get called out, say “What?”. We both know what, but it is an intentional distractor, like pointing at something else and saying “Look at that”. We can tell only part of the truth. If we leave out important facts to shade the event away from what really happen, we are still practicing deception. Then there is the bold-faced lie, the no holds barred, denial of wrong doing. We can go all the way down to what people call “a little white lie”.

The Bible is pretty clear, It is one of the ten commandments. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. Exodus 20:12 We are supposed to tell the truth, even when it might not be convenient for us. Honest builds a bridge of trust in a relationship; Lying builds a wall between others. It can be so easy to tell just one little white lie, but it usually leads to a web of lies to cover the very first one. Frankly, I'm with Honest Abe. I don't have a good enough memory to be a good liar. It wouldn't pay off anyway. Remember: What you sow, you reap. 

If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. – Both often attributed to Mark Twain.

No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar. – Abraham Lincoln

Until Next Time!