Little Lie
The line between being frank and rude is very thin
Everyone has lied, or lies, or will lie. I doubt if not. I don’t mean perfidious lies to harm someone, I mean little lie, a lie that doesn’t hurt.
When I was a young woman, in a house of relatives, I very naturally accepted the request of my cousin who was going to visit a neighbor: If I don’t return until 8 pm, call me at the fence, say it’s a phone call for me, OK? OK. And so, we make lying a daily practice. My cousin did this so as not to hurt the neighbor and I did that as not to hurt my cousin. Lying we learn that we can do well without hurting anyone.
I was with an acquaintance in a store trying on clothes. Suddenly she came out of the dressing room in a totally inappropriate outfit. And she asked me: how do I look with this skirt? And me, trying to escape: Wow, what a beautiful outfit! And she: Say it sincerely. Cornered in that way, I had no way out. The little lie would not work. So I said: It’s not pretty, but it’s not ugly, maybe another kind of clothing would fit better on you. She was sad and hurt.
There are people who know how to be true without any conflict. I do not. I know frank people who say what they feel without shame. However, the line between being frank and rude is very thin. Perhaps the middle ground exists.
Being true is difficult, but it is faithful. The truth is clear, unique. The world encourages us to lie, but lying is dangerous. The truth even said in a gentle way can hurt, however, there is no doubt that it is the truth that will always set us free.
