Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Why we lie essay
Stephanie ericsson why we lie
Stephanie ericsson why we lie
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Also, it can make a person win over another person. One reason, is lying can lead people in the wrong direction because it can make another person confused what to do. Someone is telling a friend directions to the park, but the person is just going back to your home to relax, while his friend is tries to figure where he is. He makes an excuse by telling him you are busy. Then, his friend gets betrayed so the friendship is ruined by him.
As Ericsson puts it, “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying. . .” (Ericsson, 2004, p. 120). These all exhibit forms of lies that people use every day.
In the essay "The Way We Lie," Stephanie Ericsson explains a few of the many reasons why we lie, "We avoid confrontation, we spare people's feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets" (1992, p. 159). We want to avoid a big argument or fight that might make matters worse. We lie to protect another from the truth because it might be unbearable. A lie can come out of our mouth without much thought.
The Ways We Lie “A lie may take care of the present, but it has no future…” - Anonymous. You lie, I lie, everyone does, but why; don’t people know that in the long run it will only hurt us? People lie all the time, for many different reasons, to keep out of trouble, to get someone else in trouble, to save others, to get something, etc., but all eventually leads to the opposite of what they wanted. One way I personally had an experience with lying and it not turning out the way I wanted was when I told my parents I had no idea where the candy was, but my mom eventually found it in my room and I was busted.
Throughout adolescence we are taught that lying is not good, not even a little white lie. But what if this is not true? What if we can benefit from these lies? “A lie told often enough becomes the truth” (Lenin Brainyquote). We see white lies in our everyday lives, but some people use it for the benefit of themselves, rather than others who lie to benefit the people they care about.
Lying diminishes trust between human beings. If people generally did not tell the truth, life would become very difficult, as nobody could be trusted and nothing a person heard or read could be trusted Everyone would have to find everything out for himself. Lying is bad because it treats those who are lied to as a means to achieve the liar’s purpose, rather than as a valuable end in themselves. Lies are bad for a person's health also, It can cause a person's brain to get used to lying about things and to get in a habit that is not one that a person needs to get
When is it ever okay to lie? Under what circumstances is it okay to lie? In some situations, I think it is okay to say “white lies”, but before lying to someone/something he/she needs to ask himself if it is worth the lie. C.E. Ayers, once said the famous quote “ A little inaccuracy saves a world of explanation.” In my opinion, the meaning behind his reasoning is that lying is a part of our everyday life.
Everyone is told at a young age that lies are bad or that you shouldn’t lie and for children of younger ages that is a great policy to go by. But as life becomes less sheltered, lying becomes more of an everyday occurrence. I constantly find myself lying about little details. Most of the time it’s with people I barely know. I don’t know exactly why I chose to lie, made it that when someone assumes something to be true about myself, I’d rather not embarrass them.
Many people wonder is it wrong to lie or are there some situation where lying is the best option? In the book, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon, Mark Haddon shifts Christopher’s outlook on honesty and changed his outlook dramatically. Many people, including Christopher, believe in the statement “honesty is the best policy.” However while Christopher becomes more independent, he realizes that in some situations being dishonest might be the best answer. When his father lies to Christopher, Christopher follows his father’s actions and starts to comprehend when he must lie.
Whistle-blowing Introduction Whistle-blowing is the act taken by an employee or former employee of disclosing what he believes to be unethical or illegal behaviour taken by his employer. There are two ways in which a person can disclose information. It can be done by internal whistle-blowing or external whistle-blowing. Internal whistle-blowing would be considered when an employee discloses unethical or illegal behaviour to higher management while external whistle-blowing would be when the information was disclosed to the public. The duty to be a whistle-blower over rides the duty that you have to your client or employer.
Stephanie Ericsson begins her explorative essay, “The Ways We Lie,” with a personal anecdote of all the lies she fabricated in one day. She told her bank that a deposit was in the mail when it was not, told a client that the traffic had been bad when she was late for other reasons, told her partner that her day was fine when it was really exhausting, and told her friend she was too busy for lunch when she just was not hungry, all in the course of a day. She shifts from talking about herself to talking about everyone, claiming that all people lie, exaggerate, minimize, keep secrets, and tell other lies. But, like herself, most still consider themselves honest people. She describes a week in which she tried to never tell a lie; it was debilitating, she claims.
Stephanie Ericsson justifies the habits of lying in “The Ways We Lie” using firsthand experiences and solid metaphors. Essentially, Take into consideration before you lie, because it could be at someone else's
On the one hand, I think lying is not always the answer; I personally avoid telling a lie because if you are going to lie you have to be carefully thinking about the consequences that those bring. I know that big lies can be a problem. For example, hiding your relationship with someone saying that you are single when you are not. That would bring so many consequences for yourself and for others too. That is why it is better to not tell big lies because that would affect you and other people negatively.
4. South Sudan is an independent country from Sudan. Sudan was plagued with major civil wars, and those in the Southern region of Sudan were targeted and attacked. Southern Sudanese were killed off in large numbers; many villages were raided. Those who weren’t killed or sold off into slavery had to make mass migration to surrounding countries- the most being allowed in Kenya in refugee camps.
Some parents may lie to their children because they look up to them, and they see it as disappointing their children if they know the truth (Bronson, 2008). With lying, they are not exposed to losing the trust of their children, and they see this as an easy route since