LIES

Why do most individuals lie?  There are countless reasons why individuals lie.   Perhaps too many for this article but, my goal is to attempt to answer the question.  Some of the most common reasons are, not wanting to hurt someone's feelings, fear, pretentiousness, cornering someone without sufficient time to think, etc.  There are also what is referred to as white lies.  Some justify white lies as not really lies. Regardless of how harmless or trivial a lie may be, it's a lie.  It can be a red, white or blue lie or my favorite color of green.  It's still a lie.  Or to use a cheesy analogy, no pun intended, regardless of how you slice Swiss cheese, it's always going to have holes and smell like Swiss cheese.  In addition, some will lie through omission, but it's still a lie.  I'm not saying that just because individuals lie that they are a sort of monster or are societal misfits, so please don't get me wrong.  I personally know of individuals who can't tell the truth if the truth hit them in the face.  Some of these individuals are loving, friendly and productive members of society, although, I would not put any trust in what they say. Remember, if you lie, you're not just lying to the recipient, you're lying to yourself.  In some very limited circumstances, I can understand why a lie may be justified, but that is the exception not the general rule.  The following is an example of such an occasion.  I believe it was the difference between life and death.   In my previous career as a police officer, I knew of a narcotic agent that was assigned for some time to a sophisticated major drug unit.  Needless to say, he was in a secretive major drug taskforce or what is commonly referred to as "undercover."  He was summoned by a group of 3 men who he was in close contact with for several months over high-level narcotic investigations.  In was in a condo close to the beach in an affluent neighborhood of South Florida.  As soon as he walked in, he described to me that he felt something was out of the ordinary.  He described it as a premonition or what some may refer to as I understood it as a sixth sense.  However, it was too late for him to just turn away and walk out.  He was guided to sit on a bar stool type chair surrounded by these three individuals.  Everyone in the group including himself were armed with pistols which is not uncommon in the drug trade.  One of the individuals who he knew to be a runner for the main dealer pulled his gun out, cocked the hammer and stuck it quite force fully into his right temple.  After a few seconds he had vivid thoughts of dying. He told me that while this was happening rapidly, that he was, at peace because of his perceived imminent death.  The only thing running through his mind was that they found out that he was an undercover agent.  As stressful as this incident was, he described a sense of relaxation because a shot to his head would be painless and quick.  He wasn't playing the victim.  Afterall, he did sign up for this position well informed of the risks.  He also revealed to me other thoughts of them wrapping his lifeless body in a sheet and dumbing him in the Atlantic Ocean.  The person holding the gun to his head was yelling at him that they thought he was a cop and therefore a trader and that is why they were going to kill him.   He appeared to be a quick thinker on his feet, and he specifically told me he heard loud and clear that they "thought" he was a cop.  So, he started thinking maybe just maybe they are not sure so therefore, what would he have to lose by sticking to the lie that he wasn't a cop? He pretty much accepted that he was going to get killed.  After a few second, which felt like an eternity, as he described it, the person holding the gun to his head uncocked the hammer and they all started laughing and saying that they believed him all along, but they had to make sure because they were getting ready to do a substantial drug deal. That is as much as I will say about him because this isn't a police story but rather, I wanted to maybe give the reader an example of when a lie may be appropriate.  
 Also, on point of why some individuals lie can be explained in a book I'm currently reading titled "12 Rules for Life," by Jordan B. Peterson.  Dr. Peterson, who is a clinical psychologist describes life being a struggle between good and bad and that all individuals have a dark side that they have to reconcile. To support his theory, he gets into world atrocities caused by humans against others such as the Holocaust, Russian Gulag camps, mass shooters, etc.   He compares life to the Chinese Philosophy of Yin and Yang of two opposite forces at work in all humans.  So, maybe it helps in answering the question of why individuals lie.  If you look around, we do have a history of building societies adhering to law and order, therefore, we have been very successful as humans.  Of course, there's always work to be done to continue our progress and development.  If an article like this can help you understand that although we are not perfect, we are in general good. The proof is in what we've accomplished so far.  Therefore, maybe the question should be, how far can we go as a person if we catch ourselves when we want to lie?  What I would say to solve that dilemma is pretty simple. Don't lie!
I leave you with a quote on point.  "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."  Mark Twain
  Just a thought.