Lying: Are you guilty?

[Tuumble]

I was thinking today about a time in the past where I wanted to have the following day off work but knew that if I just asked for a days annual leave it would be turned down as I'd given too short a notice. I couldn't take that chance.

The reason for the day off? I had a job interview.

To get the time off I concocted a series of what you would essentially call 'lies' to avoid going into work on that day. I had a mystery illness and faked a croaky voice on the phone to make it sound more convincing.

I'm not proud of this but the position I was going for could really have made a big difference to my income. That was a key motivation as I was in deep financial straits at that time.

As it turned out I didn't get the role but worse than that I later got a form asking about 'reason for absence' and I couldn't complete it without officially heading for a misconduct charge so I confessed to the head of HR.

I explained my reasons and as she knew about my situation she agreed that it would go no further but it was a definite black mark in my book and I've not repeated the error.

It was a tough time for the business and morale was low so she had some understanding of my desperation fortunately.

The point of all this is that with my original story I actually began to believe it was true. That I really was ill and felt some the symptons which just goes to show what the power of suggestion can do for you.

If you want to be wealthy make yourself BELIEVE that it's true. Act as if you are that SUCCESSFUL person you want to be and who knows where it will take you.

However, DON'T LIE to others. I was found out and so will you be if you go down that route.

Lies breed lies and you will get caught. Be truthful to yourself and to others. It's the only way.

[silicon toad2000]

Yes, I have lied in that exact instance at some stage.
I think though I haven't had to in the last couple of situations as the positions I was leaving were flexible enough that I could take a few hours for lunch to attend an interview.

I test my actions by arguing what would happen if everyone did the same thing. Most people take a sick day for a job interview and I don't feel society is any worse off for it. If say there are 10 interviewed applicants for every job, that's 9 people who don't get the job and have to continue to work with their bosses. I think if every one of them told their bosses they were going for a job interview, the collective effect on society of all those people going for all the jobs out there would be rather negative.

Just think if all the husbands in the world told their wives that their bum in fact did look big in that dress... (joke)

[Tuumble]

Originally Posted by silicon toad2000

Just think if all the husbands in the world told their wives that their bum in fact did look big in that dress... (joke)

Yikes! [Shudders at thought of the consequences]

[seeker5]

However, DON'T LIE to others. I was found out and so will you be if you go down that route.

I don't think that's a good reason not to lie - simply because others will find out. That's simply saying don't lie because it's not effective. You're not attacking the root cause of why lying is bad - because of what it does to your own psyche and your level of consciousness, and to the type of trust others will have in you.

[XeutonMojukai]

Yeah...

I never liked homework...

I was stubborn about it too...

I haven't had an entire school year go by where I did all my homework. Never. I lied, delayed, procrastinated, did whatever I could to make time fly by, and in doing so I not only have made it nearly impossible to do homework anymore, but also nearly impossible to get a life...

~ David

[John Hill]

So true, lies always come back to you in the end. I wrote a related article a while ago Can You Cheat the Universe. What ever you put out is what you will get back, multiplied.

John

[kaushal1]

I think there is no harm in speaking such lie in which there is no harm of anybody. Sometimes there are situations in life where u have to tell lie. If u r a truth lover and even then u speak truth then it surely means that u r telling lie as u can not afford to speak truth on such places.

[JimOfferman]

I think the biggest reason why people tell lies is that they have somehow been deluded into thinking that the risk of the lie coming out is low and that the (immediate) consequences of telling the truth are somehow worse. I know both to be untrue... Lies are almost always discovered sooner or later and when they are, the consequences tend to be far worse than when you had told the truth in the first place.

I try very hard not to lie to anyone, least of all to myself, and most of the times I succeed. I wish I could claim to be 100% honest, but that would be a lie. Whenever I do feel a need to shield people from the truth, I'll do that by not disclosing certain information (say, not revealing your love for someone until you are 'sure' that the other is ready to hear that from you).

In the example of a job interview. Before I'd even considered applying for a new job, I would have talked about my dissatisfaction about my current job with my boss. The conclusion of that talk would either be that the dissatisfaction could be resolved within the current job or that it would be in our mutual interest for me to go out and find a new job. Hence, I could just call up work to let them know I'd be off on a job interview - no lies required.

Jim.