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Refrain from lying

Heera Nawaz
Last Updated 08 November 2011, 18:56 IST

It is a major mistake that cannot be justified or defended under any circumstances whatsoever because it is blatantly wrong. However, unfortunately, this downright cantankerous habit tends to become addictive and if one gets away with lying the first time, one tends to lie again and again, it becoming a deleterious and dangerous habit.

In such scenarios, it is a sine qua non for one who has lied to shake up one’s self, tell one’s self that lying is wrong and blatant and should not at any costs be made a habit. If one does not nip this habit in the bud, one can become a habitual liar who will be aggravating, vexing and irking one’s family members besides losing valuable friends. It would do one well to remember the punishment given to Pinocchio, the puppet: Every time he lied, his nose would grow longer!

There are two types of liars. The first type is the ones who tell `white lies’ which are actually harmless. Although these `white lies’ are not vicious or dangerous, it is better not to indulge in any form of falsehood. The second form of lying, which is the deliberate telling of a falsehood in order to mislead, cheat or antagonize another is wrong and cannot be justified. Usually, a person who lies can easily be caught.

One who tells lies will probably be feeling qualms of guilt, uneasiness and diffidence. It has also been said that a person who lies cannot look others in the eye due to a guilty conscience. One who lies may also have  a suspect body language. Also, if one lies, one must necessarily have a very good memory for one must remember what version one has said to each person one has lied to. Telling the truth is far easier and less complicated!

One should never make the telling of lies a habit, as the following tale from Aesop’s Fables reveals. There was a young boy in charge of sheep. One day, he took the sheep to a country side for grazing. Being a mischievous boy, for apparently no reason, he went to the nearby village and told the villagers there that a wolf had come and was troubling his sheep.

Alarmed and always helpful, the villagers armed themselves with sticks and stones and came to attack the wolf. When they arrived, they were chagrined and indeed angry and miffed that there was of course no wolf. This happened two or three times, with he young boy being amused at the false fear he had indoctrinated and instilled in the villagers and the attention he was thus garnering. Then, one day, a real wolf came.

Panicking, the boy rushed to call the villagers, but this time, the villagers did not come for they thought that this was just another hoax and prank of the boy’s.

The motto of this story is self-explanatory: Don’t indulge in any form of telling lies, for it could well boomerang on you. Instead, have in mind always the golden words, “Truth Conquers All!”

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(Published 08 November 2011, 18:56 IST)

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