White Lies and White Knights
I lie. A lot.
There I said it.
But that’s not the whole story.
I lie to save people.
‘Nah babe, that dress doesn’t make you look fat, it just accentuates your natural curves’ (But maybe you should join me in the gym from tomorrow)
‘Hey no problem, your kids are so intelligent and energetic that I didn’t even realise the night go by! (Yeah, I won’t be baby-sitting them any time soon…even if you paid me by the minute, Oh Brother of mine)
‘Listen buddy, it’s alright. You parked the car well and drove with discipline. I’m proud of you!’ (I just have to find a good mechanic to take care of the 4 dents you made on the way out of the car park)
‘Oh my god! This is so wonderful! Did you draw this by yourself? Brilliant! This has to go up on the fridge door’ (Where was that flyer on art classes for kids?)
I pepper my day with a tiny white lie here and a bit there. Nothing that is out of the ordinary, according to this study.
But I’m not a prolific liar.
Like I said, I lie to save people. If my little white lie makes them feel good about themselves, then by all means I shall strive to do so.
But I have to concede this — it makes me feel good too!
It makes me feel like a white knight coming to their rescue and whisking them away from the twin dragons of self-doubt and self-loathing.
And maybe, just make their day a little better.
I’ve often questioned the need for saying such lies. No matter how much I grapple with the philosophical implications of this action, I always end up with this — It makes me feel good.
So….am I an altruist?
Nah.
I’m just a white knight spreading the gospel of white lies.
Ciao!
