Most people are bad liars. They have “tells” that can be used to determine if they’re telling the truth or not. I know a guy that absolutely can’t lie. Well, technically, he can lie but he’s really bad at it. Whenever he says something that isn’t true, he blushes. His entire face turns pink. The only way he can lie effectively is by omission. He can leave out certain facts, but he can’t knowingly say anything incorrect or he has a physiological reaction that gives him away. He’s a terrible poker player.
Technology can be a wonderful thing. Today, technology has made it easier to communicate with someone than at any other time in history. But technology also has a dangerous hidden side effect. Technology has made it easier to lie to someone than at any other time in history.
Even those people who are good liars oftentimes find it difficult to lie directly to someone’s face. There’s something about eye-to-eye contact that makes it hard to lie to someone. However, technology has made it possible to instantaneously lie to millions of people without having that personal connection. The Internet has given everyone the tools they need to be really good liars. And people do it all the time.
Lying is so pervasive in the United States that it almost impossible to believe anything. And look where it has gotten us. Cities are burning, businesses are closing, criminals are hailed as heroes while the people tasked with keeping us safe are being vilified.
But, it doesn’t have to be that way.
We can go a long way toward solving nearly all the problems in the United States if people would just stop lying. If everyone simply told the truth, everything would instantly get much, much better.
Can you imagine what it would be like if you could believe what your government told you? Wouldn’t it be nice if you knew they were working for the best interests of their constituents and not pushing their own agenda?
Can you imagine a day when you can turn on the news and be informed, in a non-biased way, of what’s going on in the world? How great would it be if the media told you what you needed to know, not just what they wanted you to think?
Can you imagine how much better it would be if political organizations used facts to justify their beliefs? How cool would it be if they worked to educate and inform their followers instead stoking outrage using falsehoods and emotions?
Can you imagine a future when your connections on social media will post things that are free from misleading information or outright lies? How much better would your life be if people who claim to be your friends stopped trying to manipulate you?
I can imagine all of those things, and it’s a wonderful place. It’s a place free of riots, looting and racism, and filled with honesty. It’s a place where we can believe our leadership is doing what’s best for us and not just trying to get reelected.
It’s a world where I think we’d all prefer to live.
