The 3 Faces of Lies
How to recognize them easily
There are three types of lies:
• Blatant frontal lies
• Lies interspersed with truth
• Statistical lies
All are commonly used, no matter how honest people are. Yet, everyone still blushes at the mere idea of discussing lying.
You might read this thinking that you’re doing something wrong. That it’s forbidden.
Lying is bad after all, isn’t it?
No, lying is necessary in most cases, and bad for a small minority.
For instance, Instead of helping someone who asks for it on the street, we quickly find excuses.
That’s the 1st kind of lie. Frontal and direct.
“I’m sorry someone is waiting for me.”
“I can’t help you because I don’t have X.”
“I’m in a hurry.”
That’s totally normal. Everyone does that. Now, what if a colleague, close friend, or someone you know well starts lying to hide the truth from you?
That’s the 2nd kind of lie. Indirect, interspersed with truth to make it more credible.
Maybe they do it to protect you (as they said). Or because they’re afraid of your reaction and don’t want you to discover something.
This time, it’s not just a trick to get through a bad situation. It has real consequences. It ends friendships. Break hearts. Drains finances. And creates depression.
But it can also save some relationships. Ease unnecessary tensions. Bring happiness… If they’re well made.
Finally, there’s the 3rd kind of lie.
This type of lie, unlike others, can spread without a deliberate intention to deceive. I’m talking about mass-produced lies. The ones that shape public opinion. The big brother of the previous two.
Climate change, COVID-19, the Ukraine war, and the Israel-Palestine conflict are just a few social issues shrouded in a veil of lies.
You can do what you like with the statistics. Or to put it bluntly, a glass that is 50% full is also 50% empty; it depends on how you see it.
Media and politics don’t care about the truth. They are interested in rising to power, and if that means lying, they’ll twist every study, statistic, and observation to support the viewpoint that gains them more credibility.
This is the third type of lie, one that operates on a large scale of time and people. One we believe it to be harmless, but it actually kills more people than all other types of lies combined.
