Is there any truth?

Is it just my imagination or is all of human society founded on lies? When I was younger, especially before I became published, I never realised the world was all about lies.

The political framework is built up on lies. The entire economic framework, stockmarket speculation, hedge funds, derivatives trading, international trade between countries, etc. all founded on untruths. All of movies, arts and literature is built up on lies and the art of deceiving us out of our hard earnt cash (i.e. J K Rowling's Harry Potter ). The work that we as individual authors do to push our books ahead of the next author is made up of lies. The truth we tell our partners (husbands, wives, lovers) is often made up of lies.

So...... how do you feel about living a life of lies?

Are they lies or works of fiction. Personally I try to hold society or people in higher regard. Sure people lie and I would probably be safe in saying everyone has lied at one time or another. Was the lie meant to hurt or to save ones feelings because I believe it does make a difference. Regardless lies are all meant to accomplish one thing and that is to deceive.

The real question is who do you trust. If everyone lies does a person trust no one. I place my trust in family and very close friends because experience has taught me they would do nothing to intentionally hurt me.

Ahad,
a very interesting topic, and there is truth in what you say, however to make a blanket statement about everyone and everything, can also be seen as an embellishment or a lie.
Falsehood has existed since day one, if one believes in Adam and Eve. The
proliferation of lies seems to have grown in the 21^st century. It could be attributed to the rise in business that is based on money, and with money comes greed. Doing whatever it takes to make a buck means telling lies or half-truths. Misleading promotional material is often a fabrication of the truth and could be deemed, a lie.

When I was young, if someone told a lie he/she got their mouth washed out with soap. Lying was something fought against. Telling “white” lies became acceptable. White lies were told so as not to offend. A handshake was a contract and was honored. Somewhere along the way, it became more acceptable to lie and was often expected. That’s when lawyers were hired to draw up contracts to keep people honest and even that didn’t work because the person who didn’t want to honor a contract would hire a bigger lawyer to find a loophole and break the contract.

So I do agree that our society is filled with lies and mistrust. Who to believe becomes a problem. I would rather deal with a crook, and know on what terms I’m dealing, than with a person who is “almost” honest. Honest when it’s expedient to be honest and dishonest when it’s expedient. Con artists use that concept. Pull the people in with trust and then screw them.

Ahad,

I hear you. Lying is treacherous business and too tolerated. today.

It was a sad day when former President Clinton lied under oath and got away with it.

In my opinion, he should have been removed from office for showing total disregard for the legal system.

It's tough today to feel comfortable with what you, hear, see and read. The only thing that I can really say is the culture that spawned some of the "end justifying the means" is under stress right now and may be nearing an end. Lies, leaving out details, spin are all a problem.

As for authors, as long as what you promote to get noticed is not false, then the reader will not feel betrayed.

Hi Abdul,

I think finding the truth about anything is the biggest problem. Everyone has there own interpretation of what is true. Even those who consider themselves to be honest and truthful may find that their memory is not quite as accurate as they thought.

You could show a recording of virtually any event and ask a group of people to answer some fairly simple questions and you will receive conflicting answers. When the recording is viewed again, those who answered incorrectly are stunned but feel no guilt and brush it off as though it were no big deal, "So, I was wrong."

People lie without even realising that they are lying because they think they are telling the truth. Worse still, when found out in a lie, they are likely to turn round and say, "It's your fault. You asked me the wrong question!"

Shelagh,

You have been listening to Palin. What really got me about her was her pious claims and then the whoppers she told and retold.

She was a lie from the get go and then to feign such devotion to religion.

Everyone lies deliberately to spare another's feelings. That's far different than lying for personal gain or to deceive people who believe you are trustworthy. Quite often what is viewed as a lie is merely a different view or memory of the same event. Here is a quote from the book Normandy 1944 - A Young Rifleman's War concerning a particularly vicious firefight:

What the hell exactly happened? Who could say? Ask a hundred participants and you would hear a hundred different versions.

Oh, my, Dick and I are in total agreement. 'Tis true ... but will it last?

Shelagh,

That depends on you--Dick is always right--I have never found him wrong--wait just a minute

I haven't found you wrong either--maybe you are both right--what a concept!

Astonishing.

Yes, and I discovered it.

When I look at the world, I don't see a fabric woven of lies, Ahad. What leads you to suggest that there are more lies than truths?

Malcolm

Malcom,

He probably watched the truth squad on CNN during this past election.

When he speaks of how authors try to push their books ahead of others--they may be deceived themselves.

A quick example. I wrote a book it took four years. I have an aquanitance who handwrote about 100 pages of her memoirs.
It took her at the most six months. SHE IS ABSOLUTELY ON CLOUD NINE OVER HER BOOK.

People have told her, they had no idea she was so humorous and witty.
I listen to her and wonder if these people read her book. Her book is most unremarkable--mostly a litany of where they lived and when.

I think these folks read the first page close the book and tell her how marvelous it is.

She is not dishonest--they are.

Malcolm,

I did not mean to imply there are more lies than truths, merely that things have gotten so bad that now you may have to lie in order to sell the truth

This is actually facet of who we are. I mean in the extreme a faithful wife will leave her husband for being too honest and straight. No joke. Isn't that what all the hollywood galmour business is about? Making up divorce stories for limelight attention and what not.

No, it's definitely trendy to lie. If you lie, you're HOT HOT HOT!

Dick is never wrong????? Now wait a minute Alice, are you telling a lie to save Dick's feelings. I'm getting to the age where I can't remember being wrong so I guess I never was.

What amazes me sometimes is who people believe, who they trust. I have a friend who sends me emails about things I should be frightened of. I check them out, and then tell her what is true and what is false and probably make her mad. But she trusts these messages that come across the Internet from who knows who. I think she trusts them more than she trusts me.

I think it is about trust: who to trust, what to trust. A good marriage has to be based on trust. Do I or my husband know all each of us has done in our lives? No. We were away from each other a great deal. But neither of us has any good reason not to trust, so we choose to trust each other.

I think writing is more about perception and opinion than lying. To me lying is too much work. The truth is easier. Avoiding hurting someone's feelings might be okay, but if one is in a good relationship that isn't even necessary.

Dick Stodghill wrote:

.... Quite often what is viewed as a lie is merely a different view or memory of the same event. Here is a quote from the book Normandy 1944 - A Young Rifleman's War concerning a particularly vicious firefight:

What the hell exactly happened? Who could say? Ask a hundred participants and you would hear a hundred different versions.

Obi-Wan: ... what I told you was true... from a certain point of view."
Luke: "A certain point of view?!"
Obi-Wan: "Luke, you're going to find that many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view."



We all see from our own, limited perspectives, so, truth, or reality, is not the same for all of us, but depends upon our own construction of it.

Ann

Unless you're writing fiction, Carol. Then it's all lies. Larry Block wrote an excellent advice book for fiction writers, Telling Lies for Fun and Profit.

All truths pass through 3 stages:

FIRST, it is ridiculed,
SECOND, it is violently opposed,
THIRD, it is accepted as being self-evident.


(Arthur Schopenhauer)

That sounds about right

I can't remember who said it, but some famous author said that when he died, he hoped wherever he went he would meet some of the characters from his favorite novels.

Ah, truth is difficult to grasp.

Carol

Here's a quote from a novel of mine... from a guy who knows the ultimate nature of reality.

"The truth behind any given proposition is proportional to the amount of energy invested in that proposition."

'Caveat Emptor' 'what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive' and 'trust no one' all come to mind. Even telling a truth that has been embellished is lying. One can lie by omission. One can tell a truth, as has been pointed out, that is different from someone else's truth. Both can be correct.

But the most sensational lies are the ones that get the notoriety. Some lies even serve a good purpose. A wife asks her husband: "Do these pants make my butt look big?" This is a question that begs a lie, unless her husband wants to sleep in the dog house for a week!

Salesmen tell you something is wonderful when they know it's a piece of kr@p, because it's their job to convince you to make the purchase.

And some lies can come back and bite you in the a$$!

Parents lie to their children about Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy. But they are not trying to do harm.

People gossip about others, thinking it does no harm, but it does hurt the other person in the longrun if not right away.

Yes, I think there is a lot of lying going on, and it boils down to trust. Choose those you can trust very carefully. Politicians all lie, so vote carefully--do the research. I think that is the key to living in this life today --do the research, trial and error.

Believe only half of what you see, and none of what you hear. I would like to think all people are honest, but each one has their own reason for telling lies. We need to take the more sensational ones with a grain of salt.

Zada,
good post. Lying exists and will not go away. Caution is needed in accepting advice. There may be ulterior motives.

Then there are those truths that are untruths.
It's like saying, "Jack was not drunk today." Jack doesn't even drink. The statement is true but implies that Jack is always drunk.

Other misleading statements:
Mary didn't overeat today. Mary overate today.
Mary had sex today. Mary didn't have sex today.
John worked today. John didn't work today.

Dick didn't slug anyone today........

Abe F. March wrote:

Dick didn't slug anyone today........

"The truth never dies"
"A man might die, but not his ideas"

(Author unknown)