The Ways We Lie By Stephanie Ericsson

In the John 8:7, when referring to the adulterous woman, Jesus said to the people, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” Inherently sinful, individuals cannot go a day without lying. However, lying cannot justify good intentions, various definitions or exaggerations because at the end of the day, a lie remains a lie. Author Stephanie Ericsson argues in “The Ways We Lie,” that various types of lies do exist and often times goes unnoticed by the public. She never outright states that lying is wrong; rather, by the use of definitions and personal experiences, she proves the point that all individuals do lie. Furthermore, they need to recognize these forms of lies and the consequences that result from lying. However,

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. Lying becomes a normal part of our everyday routine because “everyone does it.” Ericsson goes further in describing the effects of lies by stating, “Our acceptance of lies becomes a cultural cancer that eventually shrouds and reorders reality until moral garbage becomes as invisible to us as water is to a fish” (Ericsson, 2004, p 128). Lying presents itself in many seemingly harmless forms. When a lie does not present itself as a blatant lie, it often slips unnoticed because the other forms of lies have already been accepted as part of everyday

Almost everyone understands the “little white lie;” the term given to the lie humans use to protect others or themselves. The little white lie, along with all forms of lying, work off the assumption that “the truth will cause more damage than a simple, harmless untruth” (Ericsson, 2004, p 121). The key words “simple” and “harmless” dismantle the truth that lying, in reality, results in consequences. However, the white lie progresses into a larger issue, creating a whole new set of problems. All forms of lying lead to a form of arrogance, whether an individual assumes they know what’s best for themselves or what’s best for others. Ericsson states, “It is an act of subtle arrogance for anyone to decide what is best for someone else” (Ericsson, 2004, p 121). Good intentions mask the reality of lying. While an individual may mean no harm in their deceit and may even reason that the receiver does not desire the truth, a lie still remains a lie. A continuous vicious cycle results from one small falsehood. Individuals see it all the time; one little white lie results in a larger lie, then ends in a destructive lie. At that point, the lie is no longer a little white lie, but rather, an irreversible