EntranceWhy white lies don't exist. White lie
Each of us lies every day. Lies blatantly, or unconsciously. Personally, I find it very difficult to lie. I don’t know how, and I still don’t want to be able to.
Let's take, for example, a classic situation. Someone is calling on the phone, for example your sister. He knows who it might be calling and asks you to pick up the phone and say that she is not at home. It would seem, well, what's wrong with this? And yet, this is the most natural lie.
There are even more subtle examples, you can come up with yourself.
As a Christian, it is clear to me that “Every unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17)
However, I was a little surprised when I read the Bible and discovered that the righteous lied and God did not punish them for it.
I thought about this while reading this dialogue between God’s prophet Jeremiah and the king of Israel:
24 And Zedekiah said to Jeremiah, Let no man know these words, and then thou shalt not die;
25 And if the princes hear that I have spoken to you, and come to you and say to you: “Tell us what you told the king, do not hide it from us, and we will not put you to death, and also what the king told you.” ,
26 Then tell them, “I have submitted my petition before the king, lest I be brought back to Jonathan’s house, lest I die there.”
27 And all the princes came to Jeremiah and asked him, and he told them according to all the words that the king commanded [to say], and they left him silently, because they did not recognize what was said to the king.
(Jeremiah 38:24-27)
Jeremiah lied and told lies. God did not react to this.
I remembered some other stories.
10 And Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, because the famine had increased in that land.
11 And as he approached Egypt, he said to Sarah his wife, “Behold, I know that you are a woman of beautiful appearance;
12 And when the Egyptians see you, they will say, “This is his wife.” and they will kill me, but leave you alive;
13 Say that you are my sister, so that it may be good for me for your sake, and so that my soul may live through you.
14 And it came to pass, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman;
15 Pharaoh’s officials also saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and she was taken into the house of the Pharaohs.
16 And it was good for Abram for her sake; and he had flocks and herds, and donkeys, and male and female servants, and mules and camels.
17 But the Lord smote Pharaoh and his house with heavy blows because of Sarai Abram's wife.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, “Why have you done this to me?” Why didn’t you tell me that she is your wife?
19 Why did you say, “She is my sister?” and I took her as my wife. And now here is your wife; take it and go.
(Genesis 12:10-19)
In this story, Abram lied about Sarai not being his wife. And God punished the deceived Pharaoh, since he almost married Sarah, thinking that she was free.
15 The king of Egypt commanded the midwives of the Hebrew women, one of whom was named Shifra, and the other Puah,
16 And he said: When you give birth to Hebrew women, watch the birth: if there is a son, then kill him, but if there is a daughter, then let him live.
17 But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt told them, but allowed the children to live.
18 The king of Egypt called the midwives and said to them, “Why are you doing such a thing as leaving the children alive?
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh: The women of the Hebrews are not like the women of Egypt; they are healthy, because before the midwife comes to them, they are already giving birth.
20 For this reason God did good to the midwives, and the people multiplied and became very strong.
21 And because the midwives feared God, He built their houses.
(Exodus 1:15-21)
The midwives deceived the king, and for this God blessed them!
3 The king of Jericho sent to say to Rahab, “Give up the people who came to you, who entered your house, for they have come to spy out the whole land.”
4 But the woman took the two men and hid them and said, “As if people came to me, but I did not know where they came from;
5 When it was time to close the gates at dusk, then they left; I don’t know where they went; chase them quickly, you will catch up with them.
6 And she took them to the roof and hid them in sheaves of flax that were spread on her roof.
(Joshua 2:3-6)
The harlot Rahab saved two spies and deceived the king. “Swear to me by the Lord that just as I have shown mercy to you, so you will show mercy to my father’s house,” she says. Her lie is called mercy.
11 And Saul sent servants to David's house to keep him and kill him until the morning. And Michal his wife said to David, “If you do not save your soul this night, you will be killed tomorrow.”
12 And Michal let David down from the window, and he went and ran away and was saved.
13 And Michal took the image and laid it on the bed, and at its head she put a goatskin, and covered it with clothing.
14 And Saul sent servants to take David; but [Michal] said, He is sick.
15 And Saul sent servants to examine David, saying, Bring him to me on the bed, to kill him.
16 And the servants came, and behold, there was a statue on the bed, and at the head of it was a goatskin.
17 Then Saul said to Michal, Why did you deceive me like this and let my enemy go so that he could run away? And Michal said to Saul, “He said to me, Let me go, or I will kill you.”
(1 Samuel 19:11-17)
David's wife blatantly lied to Saul in order to save her husband. Looks a lot like a white lie, don't you think?
5 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I must sit with the king at table; but let me go, and I will hide in the field until the evening of the third day.
6 If your father asks about me, you say: “David asked me to go to his city of Bethlehem; because there is an annual sacrifice of all his kindred.”
(1 Samuel 20:5-6)
Here David himself asks his friend to lie and save him from death.
So what can you conclude from reading these passages? Do white lies really exist? What do you think about this?
White lie
In a relationship, you always want to be honest and open, share painful things, discuss the main problems, and open your heart and soul to your beloved man. But this is just a wish, because in reality we are constantly playing something, adhering to some kind of framework and participating in a chess game, trying to calculate at least one step forward, and not only our own.At the beginning of a relationship, we are, by and large, constantly lying. Remember how you ran out of a crowded room, knocking over furniture and people in your way, when he called to tell him on the phone that “no, of course, you’re not distracting, what did you want?” And how many times have you put on an indifferent voice on the phone so as not to show that your heart is about to jump out of happiness that he called! We’ll skip the little details when you spent five hours choosing a dress for a date, and in the end they said that you were late because you were supposedly delayed at work.
And during a personal PR campaign, you are unlikely to tell a man that several years ago you were not averse to participating in a wet T-shirt competition at a bike show - why immediately spoil your reputation? But “innuendoes” are also a kind of lie.
And she is constantly present in our lives. Even if we say that “a bitter truth is better than a sweet lie” and pronounce other life-affirming mantras, in the end all this also becomes a lie.
Here is the simplest example. You found out that your friend's man cheated on her. There are two options for the development of events - you tell her everything honestly, but in the end both you and her lover become her enemy. At the second stage, if they reconcile, she will consider you a liar and accuse you of wanting to break their bright love. If they separate, then again you will find yourself on the extreme, because it was your long tongue that created the abyss between them. A reasonable question arises - who needed this truth? To you? To a friend? Her man?
It is believed that omissions and silence are similar to lies, but this is not entirely true. We don’t say anything because of the difference in perception. Let's say you were with your friends at a club, and your life partner knows about it. There you drank and went dancing with the first person you met, and in the process of dancing and an extra glass of martini, you accidentally kissed. In the morning you vaguely remember this, and your conscience generally torments you, since it is generally unclear how this happened and why. The difference is that if you tell this to your prince, he will immediately paint colorful pictures of betrayal and your moral failure, although in fact you just went too far. Does it make sense to needlessly irritate your loved one, knowing that such an incident was a mistake and will not happen again? Of course, it’s best to tell in a nutshell how fun it was and that after the third cocktail you went home together.
Another important point in justifying lies is communication with friends. In order not to spoil relationships and not lose trust, very often you have to not only lie directly, but certainly keep your opinion to yourself, sometimes putting a lot of effort into this. For example, you categorically dislike your friend’s chosen one. Firstly, you have no right to say this to her face, since you do not fully know all the intricacies of their relationship, and secondly, your words will most likely offend her and spoil your relationship. Therefore, the only correct model of behavior is to listen to her and react according to the situation, without making judgments, and certainly not condemning her. Is this a lie? On the one hand, yes, on the other - what is more important here, truth or friendship?
Therefore, a white lie is not always the worst option. Very often, it is omissions, concealment of certain facts, small interpretations in the narrative that save relationships and friendships, maintain mutual understanding and devotion... People rarely need the “bitter truth”, because most women are still emotional beings and believe, first of all, that feels the heart, and not into the facts and material evidence sorted into shelves. Fantasy and emotions are not subject to logic. But you shouldn’t stoop to “sweet lies” when communicating with loved ones either - choosing a middle ground is difficult, but this is the only correct path. It is necessary to feel the interlocutor - be it your lover or a friend, in order to understand exactly where and how far you can take a step “to the left”. This is the only way to make the right choice, select expressions or filter information for a particular situation. Even the truth can sometimes be presented in such a way that people will hear you and not be offended if it is formulated in a timely and competent manner.
Set priorities, think about what is said and try, first of all, to be sensitive, and not to hack away at the truth!
For Judas, the truth is destructive, but lies are sometimes necessary. It is absolutely necessary. To say that she is a savior would be wrong. Indeed, in a situation when a man with a club runs up to you, there is another option for behavior - to be a martyr of the truth and answer: “There was a man here, I know where he is, but I won’t tell, even if I have to die.” The only question is, is everyone capable of this?
Archpriest Georgy Gorbachuk, rector of the Vladimir Theological Seminary, rector of the Transfiguration Church at the Golden Gate, Vladimir
Is the truth always saving?
The answer would seem obvious. Lying is a sin, therefore, it cannot be salutary.
But is everything so clear? Is the truth always saving?
Let's turn to the Gospel. Judas didn't lie. He did not kiss Peter, saying that it was Jesus, and not Thomas... But the truth, spoken at the wrong time, not for benefit, not for good, is a betrayal and is considered a grave sin. Such truth is a direct path to hell and it cannot be salutary.
And if the truth is not always salutary, it is logical to assume that sometimes it is better to lie than to tell the truth.
To clarify this statement, I will give the following example.
IN Soviet era I was repeatedly summoned to the State Security Committee for “processing” (it was located in the building where the Vladimir Theological Seminary is now located). One day they showed me a list of names and asked if I had baptized the people named there.
If I had told the truth and admitted to performing the sacrament, the people on the list would have been processed at party meetings, deprived of bonuses, removed from the queue for apartments, etc. Therefore, I answered the KGB officer that I did not baptize those named in list, and explained the essence of the problem as follows: “A man is running past me in great fear, I see him hiding in the bushes. Soon another one comes running, with a club in his hands, and asks: “Did anyone run through here?” If I show the wrong direction, the one hiding will be saved. Therefore, I answer: I did not baptize any of the persons you indicated.” He was indignant, but that was the end of the matter.
So, Judas truth is destructive, and lies are sometimes necessary. It is absolutely necessary. To say that she is a savior would be wrong. Indeed, in a situation when a man with a club runs up to you, there is another option for behavior - to be a martyr of the truth and answer: “There was a man here, I know where he is, but I won’t tell, even if I have to die.” The only question is, is everyone capable of this?
Archpriest Alexander Sorokin, rector of the Church of the Feodorovskaya Icon of the Mother of God, chairman of the Publishing Department of the St. Petersburg Diocese, St. Petersburg
Define "lesser evil"
If anyone thinks that “white lies” is a quote from the Bible, then he is mistaken. This is a distorted quote from Psalm 32: A king cannot be saved by much strength, and a giant cannot be saved by the abundance of his strength. A horse lies for salvation, but in the abundance of its strength it will not be saved (Ps 33:16-17), in Russian: A horse is unreliable for salvation. Lie - in this case Slavic short adjective masculine(in the Russian Synodal translation it is translated as “unreliable”). We are talking, as we see, about a horse, but the proverb has a completely different meaning. Another example of the use of the same word (and again in the Psalter) is Psalm 115: But I said in my anger: every man is a liar (Ps 115:2), that is, again, “unreliable.” It seems to me that when we are faced with the question “to lie or not to lie” and at the same time various considerations about the good or overcoming some harm incline us in favor of “lying”, we are faced with a classic situation of choosing the “lesser evil”. We know that, in principle, lying is bad, it is a sin, for this, one way or another, if it does not gnaw at us, then it pricks our conscience. But there are situations when on the opposite side of the scale (“don’t lie”) there are prospects for even worse consequences. The main question here, as always, is to determine what is the “lesser evil” in a given situation. Is this particular lie really going to be a lesser sin and do less harm than the “womb truth” that a person is ready to “cut” according to full program in any case? Not to mention the fact that it is difficult and uncomfortable for a conscientious person to lie even “for salvation”, even in some small detail, so he often deceives rather ineptly, and in the end this can result in even greater evil.
To specify the problem, it must be said that lying “in one’s own favor” is prohibited, and primarily because it is most often “used” to avoid unpleasant consequences, punishment for a crime, or retribution for any mistake. It is permissible to lie to save the life of a neighbor, hiding him from persecution; sometimes it is permissible to evade the truth when speaking about the diagnosis of a terminally ill person (I emphasize - sometimes, since a lot depends on a wide variety of additional circumstances). In general, if a “white lie” can be justified in some specific rare situations by love for one’s neighbor, then in general it is a very dangerous tool that “blurs” the eye between love for one’s neighbors and some “good” according to one’s own understanding.
Priest John Okhlobystin, screenwriter, writer, Moscow
There can be no white in black
It seems to me that when talking about lies, we must clearly distinguish between two concepts - “lie” and “concealment”. A white lie is impossible, but concealment - yes, in some cases it really is saving. Suppose a person is terminally ill - this is a force majeure situation in which concealment terrible truth- sometimes the only way to keep him from losing heart.
But still, it is very difficult to decide on your own, relying only on your idea of the good, whether a lie in a particular case will be salvation. The world exists according to certain laws, and the series of events is a manifestation of these laws; accordingly, it is under the patronage of God. One way or another, if the situation occurred, it means it was pleasing to the Lord, or was provoked by our own actions with God’s permission. By telling a lie, we distort the truth: there can be no white in black.
Archpriest George Blatinsky, rector of the Church of the Nativity of Christ and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Florence, Patriarchate of Constantinople
False truth
No, I believe that lies, no matter how they are served, are unacceptable. The Gospel says that the father of lies is the devil (John 8:44). If we tell a lie, thinking that we are saving someone or something, that is deception. Lies, or in other words deceit, cannot lead anyone to good in any way. Deceit is not accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we must try to prevent lies in our speeches or actions.
But, of course, there are situations in life when the truth, spoken to one’s face, can greatly hurt a person and cause pain. In this case, I prefer to simply not say anything, to postpone the truthful conversation until another time. I think that not to say is, in rare cases, still possible way. I would really like not to do this, but in life not everything works out the way you want. Therefore, I reserve this option for myself as a last resort.
Archpriest Igor Pchelintsev, press secretary of the Nizhny Novgorod diocese, Nizhny Novgorod
Decayed rags of glossy lies
I understand that people who use the expression “white lie” most often mean concealing or distorting the real state of affairs for the sake of peace of mind, for example, for people who are seriously ill or in some other critical situations. In matters where it is unprofitable to reveal the truth, but no one will suffer from ignorance. That is, it does not mean some kind of conscious betrayal, serving the “father of lies and the main liar.”
Such things, alas, are possible in our fallen world, and this is very sad. For example, diplomacy (as diplomacy human relations, and international) is also often a “white lie.” The use of this technique is one of the evidence of the unbearable division of our world. Like the death penalty - a “necessary, unavoidable evil”, killing in the name of the “happiness” of the survivors. And the soul can only grieve and cry for that happy time when it will not be necessary to hide the truth in the decayed rags of glossy untruth.
At the same time, “lying for the sake of deliverance” is evil. A lie is a lie, and you must answer for it as if it were a sin. For example, the Grand Duchess and Martyr Elisaveta Feodorovna in her Martha and Mary Convent tried to make efforts of the heart to prepare a hopelessly ill person for Christian death, rather than leaving him in the dark about his tragic situation.
Priest Evgeniy Likhota, rector of the Holy Nativity Church, Brest
You can't lie to God
We live in a world that lies in evil. The laws of sinful tangles often operate in it, where lies beget lies. Christianity offers an option to break the chain of lies - repentance. Another question is to tell a child that he will die soon? Is hiding the truth or not telling the truth a lie? This is a matter of everyone's conscience.
Abba Dorotheos wrote in his teachings that “when such a great need occurs to deviate from the word of truth, then even then a person should not remain careless, but should repent and cry before God and consider such an occasion as a time of temptation.”
I think there's a problem modern people- break the circle of lies in their own lives. A person puts on one mask when communicating with loved ones, another at work, another one when surrounded by friends, and, worst of all, he puts on a mask when he begins to read a prayer rule or goes to church. He begins to lie to God and loses himself. In this lie his own soul disintegrates. As much as a person develops spiritually, he becomes freed from all lies.
Priest Alexander Ryabkov, cleric of the Church of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius of Thessaloniki, St. Petersburg
For what purpose is the lie spoken?
A lie told once is not a lie itself. Anyone can stumble, get scared, or come under pressure. e more powerful. A lie is an internal attitude, an established worldview, or even deliberate service to the “father of lies.” The lie is based on an incorrect life orientation. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish - for what purpose is the lie spoken?
If I hide a person's location from people who want to abuse him, is that a lie? No, because at the core there is a desire to serve the truth. Did underground heroes serve a lie by not betraying their comrades? Will we serve lies if we protect our children from corrupting information? Of course not. But if, in the process of raising them, we do not correct our shortcomings, but simply hide them by all means, this will be a lie. Will we serve the lie, saving a person who has taken the path of correction from his former connections that corrupt him? No, for example, we have the right to tell old friends that the one for whom we are fighting is not at home or has left.
But can we not tell a person that he is terminally ill? If a person is morally sick, you cannot hide it from him. If a person is physically ill and his days are numbered, he should also be notified of this. He needs to reconcile with God and his neighbors, realize the reality of meeting another world and be prepared for it. And often in this situation, loved ones choose the path of “talking their teeth.” “We deceive him for his sake.” But there is deceit here. Creating a calm atmosphere for a person to comprehend the path he has traveled and incite him to repentance is a big and serious job. And we don’t want to take on this psychological burden as well.
Archimandrite Alexy (Shinkevich), responsible officer of the Belarusian Exarchate for media relations, Minsk
To remain silent for the sake of love
Unfortunately, in pastoral life there are situations when you have to not tell the real truth, but only in those cases when it is more dangerous and destructive than a lie. But the situation is no less responsible when you have to reveal the truth, no matter how unpleasant it may be. The decision to remain silent requires special moral struggles and experiences. I recall the words of Father Pavel Florensky, who noted that even truth, even truth, is antinomic, contradictory.
For there cannot be unrighteousness with God (Job 34:10).
Here you need to have a special spiritual reasoning, a special inner voice of God promoting truth and righteousness, or, as the Apostle John says, here you need a mind that has wisdom (Rev 17:9).
Hieromonk Nikon (Bachmanov), teacher of the Stavropol Orthodox Theological Seminary, Stavropol
A lie is something that doesn't exist
For a reflective person, the answer is obvious, no sin (and lying is a sin) can make us closer to God, because a lie is an evil invention of Satan, a lie is, in essence, something that does not exist. Holy Scripture condemns lies in any form: all untruth is sin (1 John 5:17). But when we have to descend from the realm of reflection to the realities of life, our fallen nature fails. Every man is a liar (Rom 3:4), the Apostle Paul tells us about our nature. There is, however, no contradiction here. If we turn to Holy Scripture and the lives of the saints, we will see that in them lies and cunning are either clearly condemned or have disastrous consequences. For example, the Old Testament Jacob, for deceiving his father, had to endure a long wandering away from his home and the hatred of his brother. And the church canons themselves do not exempt from responsibility those who, although out of necessity, sinned by deception (Sequence on Confession. Breviary). It is impossible to say, of course, whether a white lie is possible. But to the question of whether a lie will lead to the salvation of our soul, the answer is unequivocal - no! “Lies close the doors to prayer. A lie drives faith out of a person’s heart. The Lord moves away from the person who lies” (St. Theophan the Recluse).
Everyone lies. Lies are the same everyday occurrence, like cereal with milk for breakfast or a condescending smile in response to a friend’s unfunny joke. The only difference is in the approach to lying. For some, this is a forced necessity, but for others, it is a completely acceptable means of achieving goals. It doesn't matter which of these groups you belong to. Most of us have been tirelessly and tediously repeated since childhood that lying is bad. However, what is often not said is that white lies exist.
But these same people are silent on one important detail: Not only do they most likely periodically deceive, lie, or simply keep silent, but they also lie at the very moment when they are trying to teach you. It's not good to lie, but sometimes you have to. We do not live in a utopia, but in a real world that is not divided into black and white. In addition to them, there is also the color of the thigh of a frightened nymph, a toad in love, or even gridepper. Examples of colors simply confirm that any phenomenon can be viewed from different angles. And also called differently and condemned. So is a lie: while in most cases it is not the most optimal, in some cases it is impossible to do without it. After all, lying is really bad, and lying is best left for dessert.
Situations in which concealment or distortion of the truth is considered necessary can be divided into 2 groups, based on the consequences:
- There are no or minor consequences.
- The consequences of lying are more pleasant than the consequences of telling the truth.
When does a white lie take place?
1. Lie to avoid hurting feelings.
The most common example is communication with a patient. Unfortunately, ethical questions such as “should I tell a person that he is going to die” often elicit a clear answer: no. However, “the patient’s feelings should be spared, he is already feeling bad,” etc. - all these are not the strongest arguments in favor of lying. Telling a person that he will get better soon means taking away his last opportunity to change something in life. A lie here is permissible only in one case: the patient initially asked to hide the truth. In other cases, it would be better to tell the truth, having previously prepared both the patient and your speech.
2. Communication with parents.
You can lie to the main people on the planet only if the truth hurts them more than hiding it. A person who is trembling is unlikely to be able to sleep peacefully, knowing about your failures at work, retakes at the university and a series of failed relationships. For psychological assistance there are people specially trained for this; there are friends for emotional discussions (or condemnations). Parents are created to take care of them. However, there is an important exception: until you reach adulthood, your guardians are responsible for you. This means they need to be aware of everyone important events happening to you.
Of course, if you are already an adult with adult problems and you sometimes feel the urge to hug such a warm and beloved person tightly, complain to him about all the bad guys and feel small again, do it.
3. Communication with children.
This does not mean that, starting with the fairy tale about Santa Claus, one should go to great lengths. White lies and the peculiarities of communication with children are determined by their level of development and perception of information. Large amounts of information, not necessarily the most complex, may not only not be absorbed, but also confuse the child. There is nothing wrong with simplifying the picture of the world for the little ones. As they grow older, they will learn to perceive all the necessary information (with your help, which is why it is so important not to overdo it with lies). The compilers of school textbooks adhere to a similar principle. The basic rules are given for the younger ones, but over time these rules become overgrown with more and more exceptions.
4. Surprises.
There shouldn't be any problems with this point. You are preparing a surprise that its lucky owner should not know about before. If you prepare properly, there should be no reason to lie. Most likely, you will have to limit yourself to creating a mysterious atmosphere. If you have been declassified and are standing with your hands up, blushing convulsively, well, good luck with coming up with excuses. Just in case, it makes sense to come up with them in advance.
5. If you keep someone else's secret.
Perhaps one of the most important points that justifies white lies. The fate of someone else's secret can only be decided by the one directly with whom it is connected. Even if this secret partially belongs to you, it cannot be disclosed without the consent of the other participants. Nobody likes gossips and possessors too long tongues, and it’s more pleasant to respect yourself if you follow simple life hacks when communicating with others.
There are not many situations in which it is necessary to lie, but they do exist. When choosing between truth and lies, you should rely on your internal guidelines. Being honest with yourself is just as important as it is with others. In addition, we must not forget about one old rule: everything secret becomes clear. Therefore, before lying about something, it is better to think about whether lying is really necessary in this situation.
Are there really white lies? How can you justify a lie told to your face? Proponents of honesty and openness definitely say nothing. Lying is a great sin on the soul and a burden on the conscience. A person who dares to lie must then constantly remember his lie, look for confirmation of it, and therefore lie again and again. It will be very difficult to get out of the vicious circle and it would be better to immediately repent, tell the whole truth, and clear your conscience.
When lies are salvation
But life cannot be driven into the framework of only good or bad; it is multifaceted and presented in many shades. Therefore, those who think in extremes and follow too strict principles end up in a real dilemma. Lies relate to similar concepts. How can one say at the bedside of a patient that he has only a few months to live, if the hope of recovery is the only thing that has so far helped him cope with the disease? And how to tell small child that his mother is not his own? Or admit to elderly parents that their son does not lead the honest life he talks about?
Sometimes lying is a means of protection for the person being lied to. After all, the truth is not needed in every case. Sometimes the truth is the only thing that can hurt and even... In this case, it is wiser and more merciful to resort to lies, especially if there is hope that the truth will never be known, and a lie can save someone’s life.
What to choose - lie or truth?
The truth should be preferred in all types of relationships: friendship, family, family ties, business relations. In life, it is the truth that saves people in most situations; it allows them to create trusting relationships, be open and honest, and live in peace with themselves and with other people. But the saving power of lies also cannot be dismissed for some situations. You cannot destroy families or friendships with one carelessly spoken word just because the word is true. Leaving events in the past, forgetting grievances, remaining silent about some troubles is also part of human life which allows people for a long time stay together.
A person himself must evaluate each situation and decide what is better, kinder and more merciful to do in each specific case: to tell the truth or to hide it. After all, it is important not only to always be absolutely truthful and honest, but also to be, above all, kind and wise man, not to harm another, but to do everything for his good.