Are Lies often less Harmful than the Truth?

Lies are often less harmful than the truth.
Describe a specific situation in which the truth might be less harmful than lies. Discuss what you think determines whether or not lies are less harmful than the truth.
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"Liar, liar, pants on fire." This commonly uttered phrase by school children exemplifies how lying is one of the first "bad" acts that children are taught to shun. Lying--or deliberately saying something untrue--is generally perceived as being a negative act. Lying can harm other people and cause those around the liar to perceive him or her as untrustworthy. No one wants to be labeled as a "liar" but the reality is that the act of lying is part of our social fabric. In order to be accepted by society and deemed as a "nice" person by those around us, we may occasionally tell "white" lies. However, some will lie for malicious reasons or habitually lie to others. This type of lying, indeed, will eventually prove more harmful than telling the truth.

Telling white lies--or lies not intended to harm but told to avoid distress--may be helpful to integrate into society. There are certain situations when we do not want to embarrass those around us. For example, when a friend asks us, "Do I look fat in my jeans?" More than likely, we will answer in the negative and spare her bad feelings (although in fact we think she does look fat in her jeans). We also want to be perceived as nice people, so we may find it helpful to compliment others (especially those lacking in self esteem) on their appearance and their abilities. Oftentimes, we exaggerate the extent of these compliments in social network profiles, such as Facebook, because we are socially mandated to give flattering comments every so often to friends and acquaintances. This is especially true of the other person has been especially generous in their compliments towards us. Failing to "return the favor" with white lies may cause us to be perceived as cold and ungrateful. Granted, telling white lies to make others feel good is not absolutely necessary to get along well in society. However, sometimes telling the truth may be socially insensitive and could cause harm to those who are not confident in themselves.

When one lies for malicious reasons, more than often the results will be negative. An example of this harmful lying is the type used to cheat on one's spouse or significant other. The cheater may feel that his lies prevent his official partner from being hurt; however, the lies are putting the partner in danger by misleading her and compromising her health. Even if the official partner never finds out about the truth, she is essentially harmed by not knowing the real status of their relationship. She had no say in the betrayal and did not have the choice to evaluate its trajectory given the true circumstances. Lies may be told for a number of malicious reasons---for instance, to steal from others, protect oneself from mistakes, etc. While the liar may escape "punishment" when his lie goes undetected, he is also harmed in the long run by going through the trouble of keeping up with the lie. A habitual liar will also find it difficult to distinguish his lies from reality---in some instances, even believing his own lies.

Any type of lie---whether white or malicious-- can be more harmful than the truth when actually exposed as a lie. The liar will be perceived by those affected as untrustworthy. He or she will not ever be trusted for his opinions or anything--even truths-- that comes from his or her mouth. It is quite difficult for one to recover from a reputation as a liar and easy to burn bridges when caught telling a lie. Indeed, while some lies may be less harmful than the truth, it is prudent to just keep one's mouth shut. One can be perceived as dishonest from failing to say anything but it is not as harmful being caught telling an actual lie.