The Wicked Web

 

 

"O, what a wicked web we weave when first we practice to deceive,."

Sir Walter Scott, (Marmion: A tale of Flodden Field)

 

It is bright and early here in N.E. Michigan. The weather is also quite agreeable with temperatures in the mid 50's and mostly clear skies.

     But to be honest weather isn't what's on my mind this morning. As nice as it is here in front of the open sunroom windows, something is bothering me. In fact I am so bothered and consumed with this particular thing right now that I am unsure how to approach it. I really don't know what to say exactly but I will give it a shot.

     When did we as a society become so complacent and accepting of lies and deception? Maybe a better question is "Why have we become so complacent and accepting of lies and deception?" We teach our children to be truthful and honest, or at least we try. WE hope they will always tell the truth while we know they won't. After all, that's what we did as kids too.

     When we become adults we should have learned that telling the truth is better than lying. We know right from wrong and yet we still choose wrong over right. Even though all of have said "I hate being lied to!" we still choose to lie to others.

Question: If you hate being lied to, why do you feel it's ok to lie to others?

                We have even come to accept being lied to by those who are supposed to be our leaders. The fact that “all politicians lie” has become so well-known and widely accepted that we barely even bat an eye at it any more. We simply accept it. Why?

                What has changed inside us so much that we simply don’t care anymore? Lying was once looked upon so badly that it was punishable by law. Before Europeans came to the new world many native tribes didn’t even have a word for “lie” and no concept of what it meant. Telling the truth was a given.

                What do we achieve by this? We may temporarily avoid the consequences of our actions by lying but when the truth comes out it will be worse for us in the end. Even though we all lie, being branded a liar is something we do not want. But that is exactly what we are, liars.

                A long time ago I decided that it would be better to always tell the truth. Though I haven’t always been successful I still try to make honesty my policy. I have even gone back and apologized for not being honest even though the person would never have known if I hadn’t. It bothers me to be dishonest even when it would be to my benefit. I am still bothered by lies I told years ago and got away with. Some of which I can never make right.

                It was Mark Twain who said “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” And that is so very true. The web of lies we weave to cover and conceal our deceptions are much more complicated than the truth ever was. Humans are not spiders so holding on to that many threads is not natural for us.

                Instead of weaving webs, I challenge you to just hold the one thread that actually holds everything together, truth. It’s a lot easier to remember and a lot less sticky and tangled than anything else we can weave.

(I am hoping this will be the first in a short series of articles on this subject. Please let me know what you think by leaving comments below)