Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Why do people lie?


 


As an adult and a Christian, I really do try not to lie.  I feel it is part of my duty to be honest -- in fact the other day I told my brother that integrity is the most important thing to me in business.  I want to be honest at all times and I want to patronize businesses that do the same.  Stuff like the American Airlines pilots pretend sick-out makes me sick.

NOTE:  I really know nothing about the American Airlines problem and shouldn't even be commenting on it since I know nothing, but I write a blog and I can, so take it or leave it.  I do, however, know that the plumber who came to my house the other day is totally for the pilots and he thinks they should continue the lies and bullshit (my words, not the plumber's).  You see the plumber used to be a truck driver and had lots to tell me about unions and Texas and about how no truckers want to drive in Texas.  I wanted to ask him why people keep moving here and why he moved here (see this http://www.cnbc.com/id/47818860/Texas_Is_America_s_Top_State_for_Business_2012), but I just told him thanks for teaching me something about right-to-work states.  He taught me that I love them even more, but that is another blog...

Sometimes I think we feel like we have to lie -- you know the answer to "Do I look fat in this?" type of thing -- and sometimes I lie too, but mostly once I grew up, I stopped.

NOTE:  To me "Grew Up" means about 35 years old.  I never said that I was perfect, people.

Children are held to a different standard on my lie-meter, of course.  They lie about grades, homework being finished, boyfriends, makeup, what they ate for lunch, etc.  I did all of this and more and I know that kids still do it today.  Truly, if I had kids, I know that there are some things that I would rather not know about, as long as it isn't dangerous or life-changing.  Does it really matter if her homework doesn't get done once in awhile or if he and his friends went to a movie instead of studying that night?

The kids we deal with at Community Partners of Dallas lie.  They have to.  They lie about how they received the bruise on their arm.  They lie about whether or not they slept in a bed last night.  They lie about being touched by mom's boyfriend.  They lie because if they don't lie their parents will get worse.  Their parents might lock them in a closet.  Their parents might not feed them anything for a couple of days.

Stephanie lied to her teacher over and over again when her teacher asked why she always wore long sleeves and long pants, even in 95 degree weather.  Stephanie lied to her teacher about why she didn't have her lunch money most days.  Stephanie lied to her teacher when she wrote her back-to-school essay on "What I did this Summer". 

Stephanie lied because her mother threatened to kill her baby brother if Stephanie didn't lie. 

Luckily, Stephanie's teacher was a lie-detector and now Stephanie and her brother are living with their grandmother.  Stephanie doesn't have to lie anymore.

We don't either.

P.S.  My #FundraisingFriday gift is going to Trinity River Mission.  They are educating our future non-lying adults!

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