Truth and Untruth

Diogenes Searching for an Honest Man

Painting Attributed to J.H.W. Tischbein (circa 1780) 

The legend goes that Diogenes of Sinopi (404 or 412 BCE-323BCE) had a habit of strolling about in broad daylight, carrying a lamp. When asked what he was doing he said "I'm searching for an honest man".

The other night, at a village function,  I told a totally unnecessary lie.  I gained nothing by it, I lost nothing by it. The subject under discussion was a village lady's request for charitable donations of second-hand clothes and shoes, among other items, which are to be transported to an Eastern European country. Without thinking I made a remark boasting of many pairs of barely worn shoes and work suits lurking in my wardrobe which I would have to sort through some day very soon. In my defence I must say that I actually believed them when I uttered the words, but the truth is that I have already given most of the items away to previous collections.  I lied. 

Although this lie is not going to lose me much sleep, it made me think of truth and deceit and how easy it is to blur the lines between.

"My train was late"

"The cheque is in the post", although this lie is less often used since electronic banking has taken over.

"He always tried his best"

"Every word in my CV is true"

"Your pensions/National Health Service/jobs are safe with us"

"Greedy bankers?/Phone Hacking?/War for the sake of Oil?  Never!

"We have the means to cope with nuclear disasters".

"It's not you, it's me. I still love you, but I need some space"

"I'd never cheat on you"

At work, at home, in love, in politics, we tell lies and we are lied to. Up to 200 times a day, according to recent statistics. Is ordinary human interaction possible without convenient silences, half truths, the polite little social lie?

Is there anyone who can say they never lie?

Pretty much all the honest truth telling in the world is done by children.  ~Oliver Wendell

Truth is such a rare thing, it is delightful to tell it.  ~Emily Dickinson

Society can exist only on the basis that there is some amount of polished lying and that no one says exactly what he thinks.  ~Lin Yutang

There are many quotes about truth and deceit, most praise the value of truthfulness, some admit that lies can be expedient and some are downright cynical about our inability and inclination to tell the truth. When a high-ranking Civil Servant coined the phrase 'being economical with the truth' his verbal dexterity and, no doubt, his ability to blend fact and fiction, called forth amusement and applause. Some media organs almost make a point of slanting the news, particularly around election time or when reporting on human frailty. The fantasy shouts at you in the headlines, the subsequent apology or clarification is hidden on page five.

Should we be more courageous and tell the truth, no matter what? Sometimes the truth is painful, do we actually want to hear the unvarnished truth? How about being honest to the taxman? Would we buy many goods if advertisers were obliged to describe them truthfully? How about the second-hand car salesman,  and his description of the car he is trying to sell you? When applying for jobs, do we really want to tell our prospective employer that we are no better than the next candidate and that we have embroidered our curriculum vitae?

On many occasions I listen to somebody's sales pitch with the inbuilt assumption that I am not being told the whole, unadulterated, truth.

During my first ten years in the UK I was appalled by the apparent ease with which people indulge in social lying. "We must meet soon", You are looking well today", They are a delightful couple", "The children are doing marvellously well". All bare-faced lies. or are they?

"It's called 'oiling the wheels' of social intercourse, it's not really lying", Beloved tells me. Fine, I accept this now. Personally, I can't be bothered to use these phrases.

Whenever I catch myself telling a lie - call it fibbing, a white lie, flattery, time-saving, expediency, whatever you wish - I feel bad, guilty, a little ashamed. Whenever I realise that I have just been told a lie, I am greatly annoyed. When people in authority, politicians, the media, lie to me, in common with a large percentage of the population, I feel disinclined to believe them even when they tell the truth. In the age of the internet, we know so much sooner when politicians, the media, scientists as in the case of the Japanese disaster, lie to us; when forced to admit mistakes they may use salami-tactics - i.e. reluctantly feed us the truth slice by slice - , but eventually they have to come clean.

Of course, there are times when nothing but the truth will do.

Are there times when the choice between truth and untruth is not quite as clear cut and black and white? Or, as so often in our fallible lives, are there times when a shade of grey somewhere in-between will do?

Where do you stand? Quick answers on a postcard, please.