Parsimony is the greater part of a lie.
I just wrote on my dislike of lying. While my reason seems noble I must admit it is not the entirety...which really gives weight to my title, doesn't it? I avoid lying because it has become an abused art. It is so badly performed an act that people will now swallow anything they're told simply so they don't have to call others out on how horridly they've told a lie.
I think it would be so wonderful if people would follow Robert Heinlein's advice. There are three ways to tell a good lie :
1) Tell just enough of the truth to make it seem like the entirety
2) Tell a lie with as little information as possible.
3) Tell the truth in such a way as to make it seem like you are lying.
Obviously the third is very difficult to do. The other two come down to one point - don't say ANYTHING. My favourite response to a nosy question I don't want to answer is stony silence. (Okay, I kind of understand why I sometimes come over as a bitch.) If it is a question that the interrogator has a right to ask, I say as little as possible while not seeming to leave anything out. Allusion is also a benefit.
If people made more of an effort, so would I. Until such time, however, I'll simply continue telling the truth...or not speaking.
Like that will ever happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment