To Tell The Truth
Ok. It’s time to talk about the truth…
It’s something I like to tell – I like to think I’m getting. But truth be told, being honest isn’t always the prudent. I remember sitting in an ethics class, and being told it’s okay to lie on the following occasion: You’re standing on a corner. A woman runs by you with a pained expression on her face. She veers sharply to the right. Moments later, a man wielding a huge knife runs at you and yells, “Which way did she go?”
Ethics dictates that it’s okay to point to the left.
So if honesty is the best policy, it seems there are exceptions…
My friend “Reason 714” the German teacher tells this story: The bell rings to signal the beginning of class. R714 has gas, so he slips into the hall to purge while his students settle in to their desks. He reenters the classroom, only to notice two empty seats. A beat later, two students, both female rush into the room… late again.
They catch a whiff of the foul air dissipating in the hall. One girl makes a face at the other, “Ew! Mr. R714, Beckah farted!” Bekah, not amused, retorts, “You smelt it, you dealt it!” The ensuing argument continues for awhile… R714 says, “Kell, you know? If I liked those two girls better, I’d have said something… but since I don’t – and they’re always late, and always being disruptive, I allowed my class to believe one of them passed gas. Is that dishonest?”
A certain nephew of mine cries “Diarrhea” whenever he doesn’t want to go some place. It actually precluded him (in his mind) from helping me move into my new house… Lazy Git! That was definitely a time where lying was wrong – and problematic….
BUT – when I was six, and my brother, ten years my senior and 80 pounds heavier sat on me, it never seemed like a bad idea to yell, “I’m going to throw up!” just to get him off of me.
I guess there are rules – Self Preservation? It’s okay to lie. I don’t know if the fart “lies of omission” story falls under this category – but I guess it protected R715 from losing respect of his students…
What do you guys think? When is it okay to tell a fib?
It’s something I like to tell – I like to think I’m getting. But truth be told, being honest isn’t always the prudent. I remember sitting in an ethics class, and being told it’s okay to lie on the following occasion: You’re standing on a corner. A woman runs by you with a pained expression on her face. She veers sharply to the right. Moments later, a man wielding a huge knife runs at you and yells, “Which way did she go?”
Ethics dictates that it’s okay to point to the left.
So if honesty is the best policy, it seems there are exceptions…
My friend “Reason 714” the German teacher tells this story: The bell rings to signal the beginning of class. R714 has gas, so he slips into the hall to purge while his students settle in to their desks. He reenters the classroom, only to notice two empty seats. A beat later, two students, both female rush into the room… late again.
They catch a whiff of the foul air dissipating in the hall. One girl makes a face at the other, “Ew! Mr. R714, Beckah farted!” Bekah, not amused, retorts, “You smelt it, you dealt it!” The ensuing argument continues for awhile… R714 says, “Kell, you know? If I liked those two girls better, I’d have said something… but since I don’t – and they’re always late, and always being disruptive, I allowed my class to believe one of them passed gas. Is that dishonest?”
A certain nephew of mine cries “Diarrhea” whenever he doesn’t want to go some place. It actually precluded him (in his mind) from helping me move into my new house… Lazy Git! That was definitely a time where lying was wrong – and problematic….
BUT – when I was six, and my brother, ten years my senior and 80 pounds heavier sat on me, it never seemed like a bad idea to yell, “I’m going to throw up!” just to get him off of me.
I guess there are rules – Self Preservation? It’s okay to lie. I don’t know if the fart “lies of omission” story falls under this category – but I guess it protected R715 from losing respect of his students…
What do you guys think? When is it okay to tell a fib?
posted by Kell @ 2:34 PM
2 Comments:
At 8:03 PM,
Sarabeth said…
I'm staying out of this one. Ethics, morals, were never my strong point.
At 9:40 AM,
Tiecen said…
If the lie you are telling spares someone's feelings or saves you or someone else from personal embarassment or pain, as lomg as it doesn't harm anyone else, it's okay. I actually think being brutally honest is just rude. There's a little thing called tact. You don't need to point out other's flaws or rat out a friend.... "Do I look fat?" The answer is always no!!!!
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