Is lying ever justified?

Once in a while, we may drop in a seemingly harmless white lie with no evil intent; either to protect people from the hurtful truth or to promote our self-image without hurting another. Yet, we seldom realize that these white lies have posed as a threat to our credibility and reliability as well as, perhaps even, starting a chain reaction that may lead onto a bigger lie that may be caused at the expense of another human being.

Human beings often despise the feeling of guilt and therefore justify our lies by saying that we are harming nobody in our process of lying. This is a matter I constantly face in my coming of age as an adolescent. When I am planning to go out with friends to say a theme park on a weekday, my mom would usually ask me where I was going to. I would shade and distort the truth in these instances to avoid her disapproval and the consequences. Therefore, I choose to lie and say that I am going to a friend’s house to work on a group project. Deep down inside I know the dangers and consequences of my actions, but I rationalize my actions as surely I am harming nobody. Without a doubt, my mother discovered that in fact I did not go to a friend’s house but rather Ocean Park. I agree that I did not harm anybody through my lie but now the element of trust and my credibility has disappeared. I am still working hard to gain back my mother’s trust in me through being honest and avoiding lies.

In addition, in the case of children and parents, at the death of a close relative, parents often tell their child that their beloved grandma, who has recently passed away, just went away temporarily on holiday. Eventually the child will discover that grandma will never come back, when this time comes the child will become emotionally unstable and grow up forever suspicious and untrusting. I hope parents soon realize the potential for white lies to be ultimately destructive and be more candid and sincere in regards to the realities of life.

I am opposed to the white lie and any type of deception of that matter. Telling the truth doesn’t mean that we are brutal and unsympathetic, we should strive to tell the truth in a kind and undistorted way. Although, deception promotes harmony and spares our feelings, it is only on the short run and temporary. Through a lie our trust erodes, in order to live a prosperous and content life we must maintain our credibility and be free from deception.