I was reading an Aesop fable about two men, one who always told the truth and another who always told the lie, in short, the one who told lies ended up being honored, and the man who told the truth ended up dead. And this makes me wonder why lying is so prevalent in our society today, and why, many times, we reward liars while punishing those who tell the truth, and this happens very often if you ask me.
What I believe is that we tend to reward those who say something that pleases us, and liars can easily do that, while the harsh reality, the truth without veil, can often be difficult to digest. I think the reason why lying has a de facto honorary place in our society is because it is demanded, people want to believe the lie because they believe that it is more pleasant to be deceived than to accept the truth.
Or put another way, we complain that the media lie to us, governments manipulate us, and the powerful use us, but we rarely think that the reason why this is so, and that is because there are people who actively want to be deceived, manipulated and used. The reality is that believing that everything is fine, many people can continue living their daily lives normally, without the slightest importance for what is behind the scenes.
I am not one of those who believe that ignorance is bliss, I think that in reality, the knowledge of the true is necessary to lead a happy and full life, and I think that ignorance, falsehood and lies are the mother of all our problems, as many of the world's religions and philosophies suggest. But I don't know if most people believe the same, I don't know if, even if they believe it with their words, they deny it with their actions, and prefer to listen more to what gives them momentary pleasure than what makes them grow.
But ultimately, the lie, like all the vices that exist in the world, exists because it is demanded, because there are people who want to believe it, it is only supply and demand, this is how it works. And until we stop demanding it, it won't stop.
Of course, as with all social ills, it is difficult to place a single culprit, be it the liar, the one who loves to be deceived, or the indifferent, but the truth is that we are all responsible. We all must pay the consequences and face the repercussions by living in a society that rewards pretty lies more than truth.
Perhaps we would learn to be a little more tolerant, and accept more the answers that irritate us, there would be more truth and less lies in this world. It's a small step, but that's how it all begins.
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