Before a witness testifies in a jury trial, they must take an oath, the promise “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth…” According to the Bible, Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” The Buddha is quoted as saying, “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth.” Islam places great emphasis on the importance of truth, primarily speaking the truth in all situations. Many Native American cultures also place a high value on honesty and integrity.
However, even though we know that telling the truth is what we should do, studies suggest that humans lie approximately twice a day on average—some significantly more. A recent study (2024) suggests that people are telling lies more often, up to four lies a day.
A pathological liar not only lies much more often than the average person but gets so caught up in the behavior that they can’t stop—lying with no rhyme or reason. Psychologists state that the urge to lie becomes so irresistible that they can’t stop themselves and may even believe their lies are true. They don’t fact-check themselves before they speak.
Psychiatrists started to examine pathological lying and pseudomania around 1890 and continue to study this phenomenon with patients and clients, along with analyses of prominent past figures, such as Adolf Hitler. Many agree that he was a pathological liar. He told people whatever they wanted to hear, regardless of whether it was true. It was more important to offer a coherent vision of German greatness, promising prosperity and glory for all.
Hitler rose to power on the back of lies, pointing fingers and blaming his nation’s misfortunes on others: “They are the problem!” He accused people of wrongdoing, even though they had done nothing wrong, creating a lie so enormous that people ceased questioning it. He used an old ploy. If you want to get away with lying, change the language. He used the phrase “living space” to justify taking land. “Dispatched” as a nicer word than murder. “Solution” as a euphemism for the camps. “Bread and work” and “Mother and Child,’ to ignite nationalism and loyalty and to shape the beliefs and attitudes of the German public.
The color white is often associated with truth, symbolizing purity, clarity, and integrity. Black for lies. Light for truth. Darkness for lies. I remember my third-grade teacher, a Catholic nun named Sister Marie-Pauline, drawing a big circle on the chalkboard and coloring it in with white chalk, symbolizing our souls. She said every time we lied, there would be a black mark on that beautiful clean circle. She took a dark piece of chalk, the color of charcoal, and made a few strokes, like a murky stain, on the otherwise white circle.
“Which one would you want? A pure white circle or one filled with dark, black marks?” she asked.
We all raised our hands and shouted in unison. “The white one!”
It made an impression on my young mind, and I always thought of those dark stains whenever I told a lie—even those little white lies that aren’t really white at all. A lie is a lie. The truth is the truth. The whole truth and nothing but the truth.
“Even if you are a minority of one, the truth is the truth.” Mahatma Gandhi
“No legacy is so rich as honesty.” William Shakespeare
Enjoy the Passage of Time
Sharon
© 2025. Sharon Kreider. All Rights Reserved.
