Dialogue 15 – Lies

Dialogue 15 – Lies

“I feel pretty bad,” she said.   “I told a lie to my best friend today.”

“What did you say,” he asked?

“I told her that I liked her new hair-do.  But I really didn’t think it looked good on her at all.  I told a lie.”

“So, what’s wrong with that?” he asked.  “We tell lies all the time.  We tell white lies to people we like because we don’t want to hurt their feelings.  We tell lies to other people to protect ourselves.  For humans, lying  is as natural as breathing.”

“But, is it OK to lie?  Are there such things as good lies?”

“There are all types of lies,” he said.  “But I have come up with what I call – the good lie.”

“Enlighten me my little liar,” she said.

“A good lie has to have an element of truth to it.  It has to be believable.  We won’t tell someone we just flew to the moon, because no one would believe it.  But, if we said we just saw a flying saucer, many would believe it.

“Then, to protect ourselves from those who might question our lie, we need to be able to remember it.   That’s how law enforcement finds the guilty.  Those who tell lies, have a hard time remembering what they said.  So, if you’re going to tell a lie, make sure you can remember it.

“And finally,” he said, “make sure its deniable. You have to be able to look someone in the eye and say –  I never said that.”

“Thanks for clearing that up for me,” she said.  “Do you want to go to the movies today.  They’ve got a great new romantic comedy playing.”

“No thanks,” he said.  “I’ve got too much work to do.  But thanks for asking.”