Lies are usually told to avoid immediate discomfort or consequences. Lies are usually attempts to take shortcuts and avoid the consequences that come with telling the truth. Lies generally make another person or situation the target of guilt. Lies are told to justify behavior, and generally, begin with the thought or statement that says, “it wasn’t my fault.” Whether it is cheating on an exam, cheating on a person, lying on a job application, or lying to oneself, lies and liars must travel in packs. The self-righteous person, or liar, needs the “obvious liar” to justify himself or herself in order to appear righteous in the eyes of others.
Lies and shortcuts are an attempt to achieve success without discipline or self-control. When I came face to face with myself and my own lies, I soon learned that I live in a world where lies are common currency. Lying seems to be such a part of our culture that we are not aware of some of the lies we tell ourselves and believe them. Upon rigorous cross-examination by the Supreme Judge, I believe we would all be exposed as liars. I discovered that my lies were not shortcuts, but hindrances to my success.
Coming clean, and telling the truth is not easy and if you have lived a lie most of your life, you may have a lot of skeletons to expose. It may be time to give them a proper funeral. The only way to permanently bury a lie is to tell the truth. Honesty with ourselves and others must be our daily discipline if we are going to expose the lies that threaten our well-being on this planet. With this daily discipline, I believe that we will discover that truth and honesty are the only shortcuts to success.