Everybody lies. Fact. And if someone tells you that they have never lied before, throughout their life, they are lying.
It doesn't matter how serious the lie is, or what it means, the important factor is that it was in fact...a lie.
So this beggars the question...is the capability to lie a positive thing or a bad thing? We must also consider whether the world would be a better place if we did not know how to lie?
These particular questions bring up others that may also be considered:
*What are the worst types of lies?
*Are men and women different when it comes to lying?
*What do people object to most about lying, or what kinds of lies do people most object too?
The last question is perhaps the most significant when it comes to solving the morality of lying. We automatically assume that lies (of any kind) are bad, or wrong and they should be avoided. But in some cases they make our lives somewhat exciting and in other cases they make us happy, and the people around us happy. When we tell children about the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, we do it to make the children happy and add a little festive cheer to a particular season. It is important to understand that we do not tell children about these imaginary people, so that we can hurt their feelings. We seem to feel less inclined about the consequences when we lie to children, because they are young and do not understand the full concept of morality. BUT it can be argued that the examples of lying we expose to them at a young age can be a bad example, and it will influence them to lie as they grow up. I know that lying is wrong and I have grown up with that perception, but I am still going to tell my children about the tooth fairy and Santa.
To help understand the wide topic of lying I have categorized the types of lies we might tell:
*White lies/minor matters
*Lying about sinful activity
*Lying to protect people
*Political lies
*Lying in for your best interests e.g. Throwing a sickie
*Lying to protect yourself from others
*Lying for fun
I believe that lying can be acceptable in some cases. These are when the lies that I told can severely affect someone else either physically or mentally. When a lie affects another persons life they are BAD. Another way in which I classify the good lies from the bad is when a lie is used to cover up other immoral acts. Lies which are used against people to protect them or help them in any way are acceptable.
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