the truths, the lies and the area in between

In our daily interaction with friends, with seniors, with juniors, with people, we have certainly do have our share of encounters with truths, lies, half-lies and half-truths.

Ethically, we are supposed to speak of the truth in everything we say, but such an ideal is often impractical, if not impossible. While I agree that truths and lies are but a set of terms agreed upon by the majority and do accede to the fact that relativism spells their existence, I also think that it is an undeniable fact that an absolute and undulated line for truth exists. If a cat pisses on the floor, we certainly can't say it didn't. But truth, being a human convention, is malleable, and we can say that the cat didn't piss on the bedsheets, or warp the truth such that it remains concealed and shrouded in uncertainty. And then there's the issue of 'white lies', but I think everyone has a general idea of what it is, so I shan't bother with the usual set of arguments.

The problem with telling the truth is that there are times it may not be the right thing to do. Yes, it may be the easy thing to do (psychologists have proven that it's harder to tell lies than truths), but it may not always be the right action. Should we speak of our life experiences to a child whose perspectives are still at a stage where it is rose-tinted and idealistic, only to find that with our forthrightness and speaking of the truth we have shattered their picturesque view of the world?

Where can we find this so-called 'grey region' between truths and lies? Essentially, I think it boils down to a decision made with our hearts against a decision made with our brains. I leave it up to you to decide which is the correct decision to do, for every experience is unique and disparate from others. There can be do way to decide whether the decision to speak the truth, the lie or something in between is correct, except from its resultant consequences.

On a different strand of thought, Napolean Bonaparte once said, "History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon."