Liar Liar!

“ Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it ” Adolf Hitler quotes.

Jhooth bolna paap hai!. Lying is sin – a basic lesson learnt, crammed and understood. Well I am not clear about the last one “Understood”. If lying is a sin, then would we all burn in the fire of hell, or is there an upper or lower limit which keeps us away from that excruciating fire. Well, if lying is a sin, then why do we lie? Does even a day passes where we don't lie? Why can’t we handle the truth? Why the truth is bitter and lies are sweet?

I have heard of lethal lies, white lies, bluffing and so many different types.

I feel the lies are much larger than we think them about. They are subtle statements with huge impact. They are in our blood. At times even the speaker cannot distinguish between a truth and lie. Well one category of lies is devastating, it is malignant and has a specific purpose of destruction in one form or the other. But then there is another category. The category where lies are not so deadly and they might lead us to the hell fire that might be bit less scorching.  Here are a few everyday lies:

Automatic lies : Got up late. Coffee spilled on important documents. The car refused to start. Phone fell over and over again and look like jumbled puzzle pieces And then someone asks: "Hey how are you?" 

And here comes a Colgate smile and the automatic lie: "I am good." Ding! Ding! Ding!

Conditional lies : She asks - "Hello Dear, how do I look?" (When she looks like a fat macaw!)

Now the answer depends on what is the destination?
His parents (A big grin): "Oh darling you are looking fantastic."
Boss’s Party (A big grin): "You have reduced; this dress suits you a lot." 
Friend’s get together (A big grin): "You are looking like a sex goddess." 
Her Parents, parties, get together (faint obvious artificial smile): "good." (You still want to live!)

Save your ass lie : Mom is heard shouting - "who broke my favourite vase?"

 
and  the save your ass lies mutters out: "how? when? Where? I was not home! I was sleeping! I was listening to my I-pod!" And the story continues.

To make someone happy lie : A distressed friend holds your hand and cries "Oh No! What to do, I have been working out so hard for last two weeks but not lost even an inch." 

And the loyal friend who lives with the aim to keep his/her friends happy responds : "No no, you have lost. I could see it on your face. You are looking great now. That extra fat is wearing down." 

Phrendly lies : Ok, I could not get head or toe of what she writes, but since she is my “Phrend” I will comment on her post : "You write so deep. Your writings make my day. Fantastic, awesome, lovely" and hum saath saath hain :) (We are together for eternity)

Well, when lies make someone smile, are they still categorized as sinful? Of course I am not talking about crossing that thin line where they become deadly but the innocent lies, noble lies that make our tough lives a little less hell till we live.

Once, during the days when Japan Earthquake was prime news, I asked my son to keep all the toys properly in his cupboard. Next day they were in the same position I left them a day before. I asked him, why he didn't do it, so he enlightened me : "Ma, Just in case the earthquake comes here, the toys will be a mess again and my efforts will go waste!" 

Whoa! I didn't like the rarest possibility of truth. I wished he could have lied to me: I forgot, or my finger was aching. 

Lying is comforting or sinful? Whether the dynamics of comfort zones change with time or not, these lies made someone feel good for some time. Think about it.

That Honest Man!

It looked like any ordinary village. People worked, laughed, fought and patched up. The whole day, everyone would be engaged with some or the other activity. But there was something different about that village. It was village of thieves. Every night, every person would go out for stealing something from someone else’s home. Since everyone knew it is going to happen every night, they stopped using locks. While they would be busy cleaning someone’s closet, someone would be cleaning their lockers. So by the time day breaks, everyone would be even, they gained what they lost. There was equality in the village, no one was above or below other person. Hence a harmony was restored. There were no accusations, as everyone was a thief. People were satisfied and happy. There was a crystal clear conscience, where no one was jealous of anyone, played politics or back stabbed anyone. Everything in that village was good, till he came. 

He, the honest man. He came and settled down there. The old wise men of the village could foresee some bad omens upon his arrival and decided to tell him about the regular practice. They urged that he should also start stealing every night. But he refused. 

Now every night people would break in his house and steal something or the other. Meanwhile he was able to influence some people and convinced them that stealing is a sinful act. Hence they also stopped stealing. But people who were not convinced would keep breaking in all those houses and take something away. 

The honest man could not bear things, and left the village one night silently. But it changed things forever. Those who were stealing became more and more rich. They now guarded what they earned. Locks and keys were in fashion again. Those who didn't became poorer day by day. With wealth, they became more powerful, started keeping guards, and started commanding rest. Poorer were tortured if they protested. Gradually, there were politics, backstabbing, jealousy and finally there was a king, his supporters, his army and slaves working for him. Now no one was happy, people who were rich were trying to become richer. The poor were unable to rise and cursed everything around him. 

Is sin always a sin? We are righteous. We believe that almighty gives us the power to fight against the evil. We can change things. But is it necessary that it comes to a perfect end? There is a larger picture to be seen, which at times people miss. For the harmony and balance of nature, it at times accepts the imperfections. Or else roses won’t have thorns. And there are chances that a thorn-less rose wouldn't have existed. Happiness is one factor which at times decides the existence of a sin or a virtue. Sometimes, life is complicated, we have basic learning and we are conditioned so that we can differentiate between good and bad. But as we grow, at times good doesn't seem so good and bad doesn't sound that bad. We look ahead, and choose the virtues, but miss the bigger picture. We regret. 

“ When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life.” John Lennon.

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