How Often Do You Lie? Yes You Do, Everyone Does

Do you remember the last time you had a conversation? Can you really say that you only told the truth, and nothing but? If you can, you are probably lying.

When I was a kid, I think in 2nd grade, I got a very low score on a quiz for the first time. It was a simple quiz, nothing special, really not important, that wouldn't count towards any kind of grade; it may even have been for fun. I cannot remember why I scored so low, but I do remember that I felt like I should lie about it to my parents, tell them I aced it, and I did, for no apparent reason (I did not even know why I did it at the time). It felt like the right, smart thing to do, for a while at least. That was the first time I remember that I told a lie on purpose and got away with it.

You can imagine that since then I've probably told so many lies that I couldn't possibly recount, and I am certain that I will keep telling lies regardless of what the future holds.

There are 4 types of lies:

• white: lies we tell, or truths we avoid to help people or not hurt their feelings, sometimes even at our own expense.
• grey: lies that work in favor of both parties, like if you are lying to cover a friend, knowing that so will they, in return, if you'll ever need it.
• black: lies with which we try to avoid taking responsibility or gain something; some black lies are still harmless to others, like me lying to my parents about my quiz, or even as bad as really harming someone for very little gain.
• red: the worst of them all; lies which are mostly used for revenge or by deranged individuals, for the sole purpose of hurting someone even if they also hurt themselves.

I remember the day when I promised myself "no more unnecessary lies, not if I can help it" and was expecting to have a really hard time keeping that promise. But as it turns out, life is much easier and more rewarding when you are true to yourself. And those lies that I've felt were necessary were, to my knowledge, harmless to everyone else.
I am still lying very often though, usually in meaningless conversations, even without realizing. I may say "It's okay, no problem" when someone accidentally bumps into me when in fact it does bother me, or I may just be talking to someone for the first time and be "happy to have made their acquaintance" but not really, or I may just nod and smile when a friend is wearing something silly and asks me how they look.

And that's okay, it's human nature, it's how our society works. Imagine if we'd actually speak our mind; raw, unfiltered thoughts; we'd be living in a totally different world.
But that world would also be so different because lying is so closely tied to deception. We live in a world where, at every step, we risk falling for some kind of deceitful action, from the worst cases like con-artists and impersonators, to false promises, to click-bait (stupid, stupid click-bait <.<).

On that note, here's a reminder to always check the URLs of the links you are clicking on and whether you have a secure connection before logging in or downloading anything. You may think you are safe but it only takes one mistake. Always double-check!

There are many more things that could be said about lying; the study of lying is actually a fascinating subject. If you're really interested don't hesitate to google it; the internet is the greatest tool for learning.

So how often do you lie? What kind of liar are you? I guess expecting an honest answer to those questions would be silly of me, but I'm really curious to know what you have to say. (: