When Should We Tell The Truth And When Is It Okay To Tell A Lie

“When should we tell the truth and when is it okay to tell a lie”
Your Name
English 208/Fall 2017
Composition #4
FIRST DRAFT
Professor/Instructor
University
Date of Submission
Introduction
Lying has become a societal norm as people regardless of age, gender, social or political status lie for one reason or the other. Reasons that justify lies vary even though the underlying principle is usually protection. However justified the reasons for telling lies may be, a lie remains a lie. Situations that necessitate telling the truth and lying vary largely based on the circumstances and what is at stake. Although morality requires that we tell the truth, determining when it’s okay to tell a lie and when not to depend on the individual circumstances.
I feel that it’s okay to tell a lie when the perceived benefits of telling a lie outweighs its subsequent consequences. However, when the consequences outweigh the perceived benefits, then it’s okay to tell the truth. Whenever I want to lie, I make a conscious decision to do so after weighing options available in a particular situation. When one option appears to carry more weight than the other, I lie in favor of the more important option. In my opinion, this should be the ideal situation that necessitates telling a lie. The general rule is that when faced with two important options, and one appears to be more important than the other, and there appears to be short term consequence’s than long term benefits or one option is greater, tell a lie to get rid of the less important option. It’s an arithmetic process that involves balancing two sides, where one side has to be unequally greater than the other. Sometimes, I lie when I am unable to say no. Therefore in my opinion lying can be a polite way of saying no if saying no might hurt that person. However, the reasons for telling lies often times justifies telling lies rather than the truth. Most times, i lie to protect my reputation or self-image and this has nothing to do with comparing different options. Still, I believe that there is no ideal situation for telling a lie, even though I do tell lies. For example, if I need permission from my parents to go partying with my girlfriend, I may have to lie in order to get permission especially if it is going to be overnight. I may tell my parents like we have an overnight youth function at church. I may also lie that we have a party at my best friend’s home and then use that opportunity to meet with my girlfriend. As a teenager, hanging out with friends is more appealing and sometimes I have to lie because my parents cannot give me permission all the time. My general rule is that if I know that I may not get what I want by telling the truth, then I will tell a lie. Telling lies helps me get my way especially in circumstances where i wouldn’t have gotten it.
As earlier stated, I tell the truth when the consequence of telling lies outweighs the perceived benefits. For example if I made a promise to a close friend and failed to fulfill, I will tell the truth since the consequences of telling a lie or the truth are equally...