Not the truth. A web you cannot get out of. A temporary escape…

Whether or not it was told to help someone else or to help yourself, a lie will (and can) hurt you and everyone else around you.

You can lose many things with lies: trust, friendship, public persona, even your livelihood

So, are lies ever a good idea to tell? No. However, some people may consider “white lies” to be “harmless” and even taken as a compliment. The truth is, whether white or not, your lie is a lie. All lies are eventually found out and all lies are not worth telling. Telling the truth is much more important than you think. When you think about it, would you rather have someone tell you a white lie saying that you’re good at math or the truth saying that you might need a little help. Well, with the truth, you can at least fix your situation and get better. With that white lie, you believe in something that is false and it will show through eventually.

Your lies can even cause someone to stop having a relationship with you. Because you have lost their trust, you lost the connection that you shared with them. The worst part is, once they’ve known that you’ve lied to them once, they start to question everything else you’ve said. You ruin your reputation with that person. That person who cares about you and loves you for you is now faced with your lie. It does hurt, and if they do forgive you, it does take a long time to rebuild the trust you once had.

Can you prevent lying? Through behavior techniques or some magical syrup, can you prevent lying?

Well, you can try to prevent it, but you can never really cure it. Through behaviour, seeking outside help, and making a commitment, you can help keep the person you love and care about on track.

With keeping understanding and monitoring your loved one’s behaviour, your loved one can understand and recognize what it is that is making them lie and how to back track from it. When you seek outside help, for example, a therapist, that outside force does not have the bias of the person being a loved one. They are simply a neutral force to guide them on the path to recovery. Making a commitment is the hardest thing to do and the most important thing to do. Their commitment will be a symbol to stop their lying and proceed to move forward into a lie-free life.

Of course, like I said before, there is no magical way to cure lying… but this is a great way to prevent and help lower the rate of lying.

Remember, all forms of lying are wrong. And, as the old saying goes, honesty is the best policy.