White Lies by Kaitlyn Jeong
We enter kindergarten with valuable pieces of information: share your graham crackers, take your nap when the other kids do, and always tell the truth. As we grow older, however, these fundamental rules seem to change; now people are condemned for being too honest or for being too blunt, when in fact they’re letting their kindergarten-selves take action by simply telling the truth. There should be nothing wrong with telling someone that their hair looks like eight bird’s nests entwined together and that if they don’t comb it out, magpies will land and nest. It’s the truth and therefore nothing bad should come out of it (except maybe baby magpies), yet it still does. The words “rude” and “obnoxious” begin to surface as well, leaving us to wonder how to strike a balance between making a comment point blank and flat out lying. The line between the two, however fine, is there and is noticed by all. The white lies that are trapped in the middle can prove to be miracle workers and can get you out of a tough bind.
The name itself can be misleading, for white lies aren’t outrageously spun out of proportion like your typical run of the mill lies are; white lies merely bend the truth slightly, and no matter how slight the change, the difference in reaction is massive. Instead of inquiring whether or not you may borrow the bags under someone’s eyes to go to Trader Joe’s, the gentler, kinder version would be to commend them for working so diligently all night, the proof of their work proudly displayed under their eyes. Not everyone would be that brave, you’d say to them, for generally, people would try to cover them up even though there is nothing to be ashamed of. Not only would you spare yourself bruises in uncomfortable places, but you would also brighten someone else’s day. With white lies, it is definitely a win-win situation.
People may argue that white lies are immoral and that lies are lies, no matter what the motives behind them are, but in reality, each white lie has an element of truth to them. Finding the truth within, however, is much more difficult.Saying that you love someone’s new shoes when asked how much you like their entire outfit is not lying at all. With this statement, you are speaking the truth, for you may indeed love their shoes, just not their entire outfit. You don’t necessarily need to tell your friends that you run your compliments through a mesh strainer so that all of the “bad juices” drip out of your words, for doing so would yield unpleasant, if not dangerous, results.
Regardless of how often we choose to use white lies in our everyday conversations, I am still glad that we’re nothing like Pinocchio…I’d rather have magpies in my hair than termites in my nose.
We enter kindergarten with valuable pieces of information: share your graham crackers, take your nap when the other kids do, and always tell the truth. As we grow older, however, these fundamental rules seem to change; now people are condemned for being too honest or for being too blunt, when in fact they’re letting their kindergarten-selves take action by simply telling the truth. There should be nothing wrong with telling someone that their hair looks like eight bird’s nests entwined together and that if they don’t comb it out, magpies will land and nest. It’s the truth and therefore nothing bad should come out of it (except maybe baby magpies), yet it still does. The words “rude” and “obnoxious” begin to surface as well, leaving us to wonder how to strike a balance between making a comment point blank and flat out lying. The line between the two, however fine, is there and is noticed by all. The white lies that are trapped in the middle can prove to be miracle workers and can get you out of a tough bind.
The name itself can be misleading, for white lies aren’t outrageously spun out of proportion like your typical run of the mill lies are; white lies merely bend the truth slightly, and no matter how slight the change, the difference in reaction is massive. Instead of inquiring whether or not you may borrow the bags under someone’s eyes to go to Trader Joe’s, the gentler, kinder version would be to commend them for working so diligently all night, the proof of their work proudly displayed under their eyes. Not everyone would be that brave, you’d say to them, for generally, people would try to cover them up even though there is nothing to be ashamed of. Not only would you spare yourself bruises in uncomfortable places, but you would also brighten someone else’s day. With white lies, it is definitely a win-win situation.
People may argue that white lies are immoral and that lies are lies, no matter what the motives behind them are, but in reality, each white lie has an element of truth to them. Finding the truth within, however, is much more difficult.Saying that you love someone’s new shoes when asked how much you like their entire outfit is not lying at all. With this statement, you are speaking the truth, for you may indeed love their shoes, just not their entire outfit. You don’t necessarily need to tell your friends that you run your compliments through a mesh strainer so that all of the “bad juices” drip out of your words, for doing so would yield unpleasant, if not dangerous, results.
Regardless of how often we choose to use white lies in our everyday conversations, I am still glad that we’re nothing like Pinocchio…I’d rather have magpies in my hair than termites in my nose.