Switch it ON Your Lie Detector

Lying is probably one of the most common wrong acts that we carry out (one researcher has said 'lying is an unavoidable part of human nature), so it's worth spending time learning something about it.

Making untrue statement with intent to create a false or misleading impression or a false statement made with deliberate intent are some expressions about what lying is all about. The 3 essential features one can see about lies it that it communicates some information, that the liar intends to deceive or mislead and that the liar believes that what they are 'saying' is not true.

Why do we lie? Feeling an uncomfortable tension between who we believe we are and how we behave is an expression of cognitive dissonance, a psychological term behind the reason why we lie to ourselves. Some of the most common types of lies include white lies, lies of fabrication, bold-faced lies, and lies of omission. A white lie is often called the least serious of all lies. People indulging in and claim them to be tactful or polite. However telling white lies after a while can cause conflict with others because over time others understand the insincerity. Exercising lies could be to avoid/protect others feelings, for an economic advantage, shirking responsibility, protecting your own feelings, self-esteem, self-confidence, broken promises and other personal emotions, do work on you to indulge in lies. When others lie and you detect, its dealing, accountability and penalising is far different than how one chooses to account for one’s own set of lies. Lying is harmful to ourselves and to the people we are in relationships with. Lying itself is an act of betrayal, and it violates the trust your friend, partner, or family member is trying to build with you. When people uncover lies, depending on how damaging the lies are, some relationships are ruined beyond repair.

We need to keep our Lie Detector On for various reasons, a learning to start with is, when you often lie to yourself it is likely difficult for you to be honest with others. A spider tangled web like is what a liar has to weave when first we practice to deceive. God actually has a lot to say about lying and scriptures across religions are very harsh. Gurus tell us very clearly that speaking lies is wrong and will lead the person away from God; he or she will not find peace or solace and the results are continuous misery and sadness. It must be known that greed is the spark that leads one to lie.

"What can anyone do, with greed within? O Siblings of Destiny, by telling lies, they eat poison."

(SGGS 635)

The Gurus compare telling of lies to the "...eating of poison" and it’s repeated in scriptures many a times. An extract of a convincing read “Why indulge in your own slow killing of the inner spirit - the person moves away from purity and from the God within; also when you do final depart, you will go away crying - not a very pretty prospect for the future.”

Switch On your Lie Detector, It’s never too late and God will help us overcome it too.