It really is a show. A magic show! You know, magic, the art of deception. The art of getting someone to believe something that isn't really there or true by subtle and crafty arts. Magicians, they draw your eye line, getting you to focus your attention on some point that will distract you from the mechanisms that create the illusion or fantasy they are pretending to be real, believable.
Magicians know how to hook the audience and reel them in masterfully. Commercials are that way too for the most part. Politics have become that way for the most part. In fact its the sad state of affairs that most everything has become that way in today's world, from marriages, to friendships, to, dare I say it, yes, even religious cultural expectations and conversion attempts. It's the sad reality that its not too difficult to realize that somehow in the prosperity of the height of civilization that we enjoy, we have adopted, as a nation, and as individuals a culture of liars, and lies.
The divorce rate hovers around 50%. The percentages of high school graduates are declining, and the ones that go to college, a good portion are adept at cheating and playing the systems. Political figures dishonor their stations with improprieties at the least and at the most scandals and very real illegalities. The porn industry has been bringing in just under and currently way over a cool $100 billion a year for over a decade. This industry's revenues eclipse those of Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined. Major financial institutions have stumbled and come to the precipice of falling. The housing market like the job market have taken a nose dive. There is a growing chasm between the 1 percenters, the elite, rich, and powerful upper class, and the ever increasing poverty stricken lower class, while the middle class is slowly eroding away. There is a very real culture of mistrust and defensiveness from most people.
But you know what, it does actually makes sense. After all, all the issues we as a nation are dealing with, the extraordinary national debt, the financial debacles and economic downturns, they all ride on one very simple and very real issue. What is that issue? It is simply this. We have become a nation of liars. And I think deep down we all know that to one degree or another we have all drunk or are drinking from the same cool-aid. So what happens when you don't trust someone? You turn to looking out for good'ole number one!
Newsflash!!! The next Presidential Election will not solve the varied crisis-es that are threatening to capsize our nation. We as individuals, as the people of the United States of America must resolve and act upon the tenets that bring prosperity. People, we have to stop lying to each other and start telling the truth and be honorable!
So I figure this is the point where most of you who are reading this are saying, amen brother! The other small percentage are mumbling something about me being crazy, but you know, that's OK, as long as you keep reading. See, the ones that are saying amen, you don't understand. I'm talking about you and me and everyone being liars. Not those blatant liars we all recognize and love to hate. For those calling me crazy read on and see if I don't make some sense. You see, like a color has different shades that are similar but slightly different, so too does the term lying and the more pressing point deception. Yes, prepare to have your mind blown by my bud Mr. Merriam Webster!
After reading this list of words and their meanings, please people realize, that at some point in time in our jobs or in our relationships during any given day it is easy to employ these actions. My hope is that those reading might recognize where you may be implementing a specific action that you might not term an out right lie but previously didn't have a term for it. Sadly if you do, yeah, it means you're a liar. But cheer up, doesn't mean you always have to be. And hopefully we can all change. Or else of course, we are all doomed. Da da da.... (que the dramatic ominous background music)
Lie, prevaricate, equivocate, palter, fib
- Mean to tell an untruth.
- Lie
- To make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
- To create a false or misleading impression
- It is the blunt term, imputing dishonesty (lied about where he had been).
- Prevaricate
- Softens the bluntness of lie by implying quibbling or confusing the issue (during the hearings the witness did his best to prevaricate).
Cavil - To raise trivial and frivolous objection
- Equivocate
[You cynics and sarcastics don't be shy, take a bow!!]
- Palter
- Implies making unreliable statements of fact or intention or insincere promises (a swindler paltering with his investors).
- Fib
Pheww having a list of words for people to read, always scary as a writer. Will they get it, will they read through them? It's always a toss up. But if you're still reading, good for you! But, yes doesn't it always seem that right as you get over the hard stuff there's a but, anyway, BUT, there's more.
A lie is ultimately a form of deception as are the other shades of the aforementioned lying words that depict specific variations of the act. So to really get to the heart of what I'm trying to shed light on, it really is very important to understand the different shades of deceptions. Get an eye-full!
Deceive, mislead, delude, beguile
- Mean to lead astray or frustrate usually by underhandedness.
For those of you who didn't know what chicanery meant it means deception by artful subterfuge of sophistry: trickery!
If you are like me that doesn't help too much without knowing:
Subterfuge to mean - a deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape. or evade; a deceptive device
Artifice to mean - clever or artful skill: ingenuity, an ingenious device or expedient, an artful stratagem: trick, false or insincere behavior
[Oh, if only I had a thousand years to write examples of the artifices and chicanery of modern day dating, I probably would need more time!]
Stratagem to mean - a cleverly contrived trick or scheme for gaining an end.
[Want examples of stratagems, just look at a good portion of business models (gimmicks), but most especially their advertisement campaigns]
Sophistry to mean - subtly deceptive reasoning or argumentation.
[Want examples of sophistry, just listen to any politician trying to get elected.]
- Deceive
- Implies imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment,or helplessness (tried to deceive me about the cost).
- Mislead
Many of us are at times guilty of misleading in all honesty, meaning not intentionally, that happens and while it isn't the greatest situations its part of being human but far too many times many of us know we are misleading others intentionally for gain, an advantage, or profit and therein lies the problem.
- Delude
- Beguile
Ahh... beguile! What a word. This word is for all the plastic people! The charm your pants off people that care nothing but for themselves and what they can get people to do for them. Hollywood, Music, and Marketing Industries, and all you pretty people with talent that motivate people to live after your lifestyles while getting them to dump their cash over in your direction. Check it! Yeah you know sex sells, so does violence and anger, yeah and I know other industries also use it to get to the unsuspecting and milk'em for all you can get, but you, you have grown to be master magicians indeed. Viacom I got your number!! and before someone starts insulting me, no not all parts of these industries are corrupt. Yes there is value, virtue, and good in a good number of projects that come out of these industries but in general, as a whole, the cancer has metastasized, and its prevalent! But I digress!
My hope is for us as individuals that make up the industries of this great nation to analyze and take stock. Do we beguile? Do we delude other people? do we use half truths to get our agendas through or conveniently leave out specific parts of the truth to deceive, by misleading? In relationships do we backbite and through underhandedness and sly means use people or kill relationships when they actually require us to grow up and learn the meaning of relating? Do we palter? Do we equivocate or tolerate shows that equivocate especially with degrading sexually based meanings? Do we prevaricate? Do we lie?
The cool part is we can change. The not so cool part is, its really hard once you're fighting the mainstream culture. Expect name calling at the least. At the worst expect to be cut out of other people's lives and fired from places of employment, and definitely expect to make less than those that aren't honest, at least at first.
Is it worth it? Well, I think that question is one everyone must wrestle with for themselves. But let me just say this, Do you want the world to get worse or better? Do you want your children to inherit a social machine pointed towards implosion? Would you rather a world ruled by enmity (ill will) toward your fellow man, or one where you can trust others and where honor fosters trust and actually means something. Where if someone gave you their word, it had meaning and weight! For that to happen though there must be sacrifices. For that to happen we each have to surrender our lives to the better way, to the honest way. We have to stop lying to ourselves and to each other!
It's time to aspire and work for the measure of the moral grandeur that truly makes this nation great before we make ashes and ruin of ourselves. It is time to be the moral nation that inspired pilgrims to cross the ocean Americas bound. It's time we aspire and work to become a moral people as was the intention and aspiration of many a noble people that have immigrated to this great nation. It's time to espouse the basic Christian virtue of honesty in our dealings with our fellowmen. It's time to take to heart doing unto others as you would have them do unto you. It's time to realize that we are truly in word and deed, "THE HOME OF THE BRAVE". For as Mahatma Ghandi has so concisely explained, "Cowards can never be moral." Let's be brave!! Honest people living honest lives without deception and the varied forms of lies requires courage! Let us recognize and be afraid knowing that pride (enmity - ill will towards man and/or God) goes before the fall!! For a nation predominantly of Judeo-Christian values let us re-enthrone honesty remembering that, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight.", Prov. 12:22, and, "I am the Lord your God. Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another.", Lev. 19:11. For those that are followers of Jesus Christ let it not be said of you as was observed by Mahatma Ghandi, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." For those that are not Christians, realize that to be a true humanitarian means living a life directed by principles of virtue and honesty.
People, Ghandi had it right when he said, "Action expresses priorities." We are in dark and difficult times and to use a line from the movie Harry Potter, "we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy." This is our chance to be heroes for our own futures but it requires that, "you must be the change you wish to see in the world.", Mahatma Ghandi.
For this land to remain the land of the free and the home of the brave its citizens can not afford to be cowards. Let's be a moral people, lets be an honest people, lets be the nation we sing about, as the home of the BRAVE!
