LIVING A LIE IS EASIER TODAY THAN EVER

LIVING A LIE IS EASIER TODAY THAN EVER

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Lying has become an art form. Not only is it common now people do it with pizzazz.  Most of the lies are still the “little white” variety.  Nevertheless, the more outrageous and exaggerated the deception, the more likely it will appear credible. Too many Americans are being inundated with lies and remember some whoppers as the truth.

We have television pharmaceutical advertisers who say in one breath the drug has miraculous curing properties without any side effects and then list horrific possible fatal effects on the patient. Federal, state and local politicians make a living saying one thing to one audience and the opposite to a different one.  Lying has become so blatant that we now accept it as part of the role of any politician to be an artful deceiver of the public. There is no longer shame or loss of face when the person is exposed. Habitual lies are prevalent from authority figures in the helping profession, business world, and even in the sanctuary of the family. The truth has almost become extinct.

In toady’s virtual world there is little real connection between people. It is easier today than ever before to be someone you want to be rather than who you are. Being a liar has lost its stigma in our culture. Pathetically lying has become acceptable since we no longer feel outrage when someone lies to us. We are not even prosecuting people who falsify information to law enforcement such as Jusse Smollett.

Without social media a person’s reputation usually evolved from word of mouth by their deeds and misdeeds. Our modern electronic age has provided the public with a quicker and easier way to gain a positive reputation. The Internet automatically feeds one’s ego needs, which helps a person believe they are important. Stores where you bought one item send you a Happy Birthday electronic message. Every selfie and “enhanced” photo creates an image that is more glamorous than a Hollywood star.

Currently in our social media, non-judgmental world anyone can be whatever they choose to be without any consequence. We are living in a virtual world. The majority of adults spend an incredible amount of time on their electronic devices. People are more absorbed in the cyber world than in the real face-to-face interactional world. Most cyber friends have never physically met. The social media biography is written with little adherence to the facts of the individual’s life.

The problem with being boxed in by a fictional narrative is the person needs more elaborate lies to keep the charade going. This tangled web of lies incentivizes the individual to develop more elaborate and less feasible lies to keep the shaky credibility from exposing them. This phony biographical self-branding eventually becomes a cross too heavy to bear. The problem is many of us are living lies that are hard to keep up with when we meet followers in person.

Hopefully the dishonest individual will come clean with an intimate person they admire to rid themselves of living a false self-history. This intimate person may encourage the friend to correct the record and start again. This time the individual starts on a firm footing. This will keep the person on a truthful track to be a functional and successful member of the community. The focus on the individual’s true success will build on each of them increasing the person’s self-confidence and legitimate successes.

Prestigious leaders of the community should be an inspiration to others by earning their reputation through the traditional method of honest effort instead of “instant false successes.” People will realize that a lasting reputation has to have a foundation based on truth. Truth, not lies builds strong relationships, strong families, and country.  The honesty of our citizens has been the backbone of our U.S. exceptionalism.

This epidemic of lying is unraveling the social fabric of our society. We need to return to punishing our children for lying. Certainly we have to follow through on people who falsify information be it a common criminal or famous person: they should be treated with the same blind justice.

Parents should return to dedicating themselves to giving significant consequences to stamp out lying and cheating with their children and their own interactions with others. Teachers should make a big deal about cheating and outright lying to demonstrate that this behavior does not pay.

Once we return to truth, honesty, and blind justice of the law our nation will be revitalized. Lying will again become a character defect that will shame many people from using it and critical thinking will once again supersede feelings.

Truth will have resurgence and dishonesty will be again stigmatized.

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio is an author of weekly newspaper articles, INVASION WITHIN  and a new book entitled, IN CHARGE PARENTING In a PC World. You can see many of Dr. Maglio’s articles at www.drmaglioblogspot.com.