The Ways We Lie
The Ways We Lie
By Stephanie Ericsson
It is curious to think that any one person could be telling a lie without knowing that they are. In the essay “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she explores the thought of how lies are incorporated into everyday life. According to this essay, “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big-guy institutions”. How do we know what the truth is, when we are told what we want to hear? Ericsson writes about ten different “lies,” all of which are commonly used. Ericsson speaks about different lies to justify peoples’ actions and thought, even though some of the lies are oversimplified and basic fundamentals are left out.
Everybody incorporates lies into everyday life, without even understanding what lies are and other people’s reactions to them. Two of the lies which Ericsson presents to the readers are omission and dismissal lies, which are common. They both are riskier lies, but are effective if used correctly and hurtful if used upon another. Omission lies are when one is telling the truth minus some key facts and dismissal lies are removing key parts to illustrate a point. The question then becomes how can anyone tell if an individual is living a lie rather than reality? With enough information left out, a new world is created. Ericsson makes it seem as if all individuals lie, even if they see themselves as honest people. “Like most people, I indulge in small falsehoods and still think of myself as an honest person. Sure I lie, but it doesn’t hurt anything”. Which lies are to be accepted in life and how intense does a lie have to be to be considered over-the-top? Everybody uses variations of lies to justify what they are doing and what they believe in. It is human nature at its best. It is the best because it keeps people happy and not have to face the harsh reality. It is also human nature at its
By Stephanie Ericsson
It is curious to think that any one person could be telling a lie without knowing that they are. In the essay “The Ways We Lie” by Stephanie Ericsson, she explores the thought of how lies are incorporated into everyday life. According to this essay, “We lie. We all do. We exaggerate, we minimize, we avoid confrontation, we spare people’s feelings, we conveniently forget, we keep secrets, we justify lying to the big-guy institutions”. How do we know what the truth is, when we are told what we want to hear? Ericsson writes about ten different “lies,” all of which are commonly used. Ericsson speaks about different lies to justify peoples’ actions and thought, even though some of the lies are oversimplified and basic fundamentals are left out.
Everybody incorporates lies into everyday life, without even understanding what lies are and other people’s reactions to them. Two of the lies which Ericsson presents to the readers are omission and dismissal lies, which are common. They both are riskier lies, but are effective if used correctly and hurtful if used upon another. Omission lies are when one is telling the truth minus some key facts and dismissal lies are removing key parts to illustrate a point. The question then becomes how can anyone tell if an individual is living a lie rather than reality? With enough information left out, a new world is created. Ericsson makes it seem as if all individuals lie, even if they see themselves as honest people. “Like most people, I indulge in small falsehoods and still think of myself as an honest person. Sure I lie, but it doesn’t hurt anything”. Which lies are to be accepted in life and how intense does a lie have to be to be considered over-the-top? Everybody uses variations of lies to justify what they are doing and what they believe in. It is human nature at its best. It is the best because it keeps people happy and not have to face the harsh reality. It is also human nature at its