Why do people lie to be nice when it never helps

A man, gravely ill and on the verge of death, asks to see his son one final time.

Despite the doctor’s best attempts to reach out, the son never shows up.

With each passing day, the man’s health continues to deteriorate. He is in constant pain, and his vision worsens.

One day, the son finally appears.

“Dad, I’m here,” he says.

The sick father, tears streaming down his face, clasps his son’s hands.

“I knew you would come.”

The son stays with his father for several hours, holding him lovingly and listening to his father’s final words.

Shortly after, the father passes away peacefully.

As the son is leaving the hospital, the doctor approaches him and asks him to fill out paperwork for his father.

“He wasn’t my father,” the young man says.

“Then why were you here?” the doctor asks.

“I saw a dying man who needed his son. So I became his son.”

I don’t remember where I heard this story before, but the message is clear.

Sometimes, even a simple lie can make life a lot less painful for someone