Are all lies the same?
“A polar bear cub will hide it’s black nose, so it blends in with the snow, when it’s trying to hunt a seal…lying is an important survival skill.” — Netflix’s Atypical
When I was a little kid, I was told lying is never good. But as I grow up, I realize that there is a spectrum for lies, and within this spectrum it falls into 3 categories:
1. Bad lies
2. White lies
3. Lying for survival
Lies where you cover up your mistakes or wrong doing are bad lies. These are the type of lies your parents tell you to not commit when you’re a little kid. But sometimes you lie to make other people feel better, and these are white lies. I think white lies are the best type of lie you can say, and it shows compassion in special situations. However, in my opinion, the worst type of lies are the lies that you tell to survive.
In life, there is a hierarchy. You may be intimated by other people, especially those that are superior to you. This can be your parents, your elders, your boss, your teacher, etc. . You might be afraid to speak up and tell them what you actually think, but in the back of your mind you know what they want to hear and despite it going against what you believe, you tell a lie and say what they want to hear, being afraid of the outcome if you do not.
The irony to survival lies is that it always positively benefits you.
Lying for survival is the worst type of lie, in my opinion, because not only are you doing something that goes against what you truly believe in, but it also mean there is a negative environment around you. You can’t truly be yourself. However, if you don’t tell survival lies, the impacts and consequences to follow might unravel everything that you’ve worked hard for (e.g. promotion, getting good references, climbing up the social ladder, etc.). The irony to survival lies is that it always positively benefits you. You end up not having to go down the path of negative outcomes. It might even expedite your goals.
White lies and survival lies are very similar:
- White lies benefits another individual
- Survival lies benefits yourself
So why is survival lie a bad thing? Is it because it benefits yourself and not others? Is it greedy to tell survival lies? Is it because it goes against your conscience? Is it because this lives in a grey area in life and it isn’t black and white?
