A look at truth and lies.

When someone is out to impress, there is often a lot of exaggeration. To have the exaggeration more acceptable, the person may resort to lies. This is especially true of politicians and those who wish to gain the favour of someone in power.

There is also this small group of harmless individuals who merely wish to impress their fellow humans and gain some sense of importance.

In the speeches of politicians, there is the usual use of hyperbole in order to have their listeners realise their beneficial ideas, their wonderful ability, their fantastic achievements, their impeachable honesty and morality, their indispensable presence and their impressive greatness. Who can blame them for their exaggeration as everyone knows they have to be better than any other politician; to become the number one person in that arena.

In Malaysia, there are many blogs such a ‘Lim Kit Siang’s blog’ and ‘Naima!’ as well as the online news from ‘Malaysian Insider ’ where fibs, lies and hypocrisy of Malaysian politicians are exposed.

Once upon a time in Malaysia, the news media put the picture of an opposing politician, a Muslim, wearing a kind of hat with what looked like a Christian cross. The opposing politician lost a lot of Muslim votes because of the picture. While it was true that the politician wore such a hat, it was false to imply that that politician was less religious than any other. He wore it just because the occasion deems it right to wear it. The implication that he was encouraging Christianity or was less a Muslim was false. Nevertheless, the implication was bad enough to cost him the lost of too many votes.

There is a guy I know who claims to win lottery money every week. I like such people. With them, there is no fear of the guy putting out a borrowing hand. Once a man told me that this lottery-winning guy was one of the richest guy in Sungai Petani. I merely smiled at the man. After all, it was harmless of that guy to enjoy such a boast. And if anyone wanted to believe it, who were we to deny him that pleasure. I would say.”Let him have his pleasure.” After all, he hurts no one. If he is happy, we should be happy for him.

Sometimes, people need to fib to avoid misunderstanding. A sensitive wife may be wary of another woman talking with her husband. Even if the husband likes the company of that woman, there is no necessity to inform anyone of it. Just side-step the issue and let peace reign. However, there may be a need to fib to avoid an unnecessary misunderstanding and the problems that may follow.

So long as fibs do not hurt anybody or cause us to become habitual in the practice, a fib can help to calm the waters.

However, like alcohol, used too often and for wrong purposes, lies can lead to problems. Our credibility will be at stake when slowly and gradually, the people close to us get to know that lies flow out of our mouth as easily as water comes forth from a spring. No longer would they believe what we say. Like the boy who cried,’Wolf!’ too often, even our truth will be doubted. That is when we are in deep trouble.

So, truth reigns supreme unless a fib is necessary to calm the threat of an unnecessary storm.