From early childhood, a person is taught to tell the truth. Don't lie - this is one of the rules of morality. But a person does not always like the truth, and in certain cases it can lead to tragedy and become life-threatening.
So what is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie?
It is very difficult to answer this question unambiguously. Of course, the answer is that better truth, whatever they are. The ability to speak the truth, not to lie, not to change one’s moral principles - this is characteristic only to a strong man, morally pure. After all, not everyone likes the truth. Especially if a person’s opinion goes against generally accepted views and foundations.
History knows how many examples when people sacrificed their lives, but did not betray their views. It is worth remembering the famous D. Bruno, who died at the stake for claiming that the earth was round, who dared to express a theory that ran counter to the canons of the church. From time immemorial, people have gone to the chopping block for their ideas, for the truth.
And yet a person must tell the truth. Living according to conscience is difficult, but also easy at the same time. There is no need to dodge, invent something that doesn’t exist, or adapt to the opinion of your interlocutor. A truthful person lives with a clear conscience and does not fall into the web of his own lies. It is truthful people who move history, they are the initiators of the greatest deeds, they are the color of any country, any people. It is no coincidence that truthfulness, as psychologists say, is one of the first places among positive qualities that people highlight.
But what about lies?
After all, she is so sweet, pleasant, soothing. It may seem strange, but lies also have a right to exist in our world. It is simply necessary for people who are weak, selfish, and unsure of themselves. They live in an illusory world of deception.
Yes, the epiphany will be terrible, the truth will still come out, it is invincible, but for now, such people think, let everything remain the same. It’s so nice when a person is praised, admired, admired. Sometimes these people don’t even understand where the line is between truth and lies. This is a real human problem. It’s good if there is someone nearby who will open his eyes and show the truth, no matter how difficult they may be. And let this happen as soon as possible.
However, lying is sometimes simply necessary for a person. How to say that he is hopelessly ill, that he only has a little time left to live? It is common for a person to believe that he will still live; sometimes this faith does real miracles - it actually prolongs a person’s life. And this may be a few, but still days, months, and sometimes years, when a person lives next to loved ones, people who love him.
The choice between truth and lies is made by each person himself. This choice ultimately reveals what it is.
Margins around the form
Since time immemorial, humanity has lived in a false world, which is such thanks to man. All people lie: from the cleaning lady to the president. The more people lie, the more they understand that doing so is ugly, but knowing this does not stop them from lying less. Some are small, some are larger and larger-scale, but there is not a single one who does not lie. It is believed that lying is a bad, terrible habit that needs to be fought. The one who lied is shamed and scolded. It's funny that the one who shamed yesterday is ashamed himself today. The man is quite a contradictory nature. On the one hand, he considers it an absurd thing to lie, and on the other, no less ugly, to say what he thinks. Although those who are blessed with straightforwardness lie less - they do not take the opportunity to think about what to say, and thus do not have time to come up with a lie. Why is straightforwardness also a vice? Because, as they believe, in this way you can offend a person by telling an unpleasant interlocutor that he is really not attractive. It is believed that it is better to remain silent. But by holding back our words, we nonverbally express sympathy. In this case, it’s still time: isn’t a sweet smile to an unpleasant person a lie? Of course, if you go into more detail into facial expressions and gestures, you can catch what will express your true attitude, but this, alas, is only given to a professional. Is this how people want lies to disappear? One can imagine a world where there is no such thing, and everyone tells each other only the truth. Ugly people or not very smart people will not be flattered about how good and smart they are, and the truth will depress them even more. And if now people are fanatically trying to be like some ideal they themselves invented, then what will happen then? The number of notorious, unhappy, angry people will increase, and as a result, the mentally ill. And if now they think that lies are the cause of many disasters, then in that fantasy world they would have thought so in relation to the truth. Humanity cannot even imagine what negative global proportions the general truth would reach. Now politicians different countries we have to smile at each other and, so as not to offend anyone, a country with a bad economy, low GDP and so on is called “developing”. In a “truthful” world, these countries would be honestly called “underdeveloped” or “wild,” which would cause conflicts and wars: not for lands, oil and other resources, as now; a war would be provoked by human resentment and patriotism - how is it that the American president told the whole world that all other countries are underdeveloped? It’s touching when parents read a lot of books, something like “How to teach a child not to lie.” They probably don’t think that this is a priori impossible. How can a child not learn to lie when he has been lied to since birth? About the fact that if you don’t listen, the old woman will take you away, about Grandfather Frost, finally. And aren’t everyone’s favorite fairy tales about non-existent characters and talking animals a lie? They also lie about how the child was born, saying that it was found in cabbage or brought by a stork. I always wondered why it was the stork that was in the cabbage? Of course, parents are more satisfied with the truth. And instead of the usual: “Mom, I’m at Lyuda’s, we’re teaching math,” it will be easier to hear, “No, why do we need this math. We walk and drink vodka. There are four guys here and they are all so cute.” The parents will calm down and fall asleep serenely - after all, the daughter told the truth! Has anyone ever thought that lying is one of the components of happiness? Especially the one that is called “white lie.” Yes, my beloved lied about being at work, but only so as not to worry his wife again. Trying to fight lies, people deliberately do not want to eradicate them. After all, it’s simpler, it’s better, one might say it’s more humane. Lying helps when applying for a job, in love relationships and communicating with other people. People do not want to know the whole truth; they prefer to be deceived.What if men told the truth: Lies versus Truth.
Lies versus Truth part 2. What if women told the truth
Margins around the form
This was the most ordinary married couple. His name was Sergei, hers was Alla. He is a little over thirty, she is a little less. Work, apartment - everything is like people’s. There are probably thousands of such couples, and maybe even millions. It seems to me that they probably had children. All ordinary married couples have children. And, just like all ordinary married couples, they had their own quirk.
Your own quirk is absolutely necessary thing for every ordinary married couple. If not for these quirks, it would simply be impossible to distinguish them from each other. Some people, for example, climb mountains, some grow cacti, and some have children who practice ballroom dancing. Alla and Sergei had the most unusual quirk - they did not hide anything from each other.
Sometimes they would sit with friends at the table, talk, and drink dry wine. Someone will show off their photographs against the backdrop of Elbrus, someone will excitedly tell how his Echinopsis lobivia blossomed last night, someone will talk about his children... And Sergei will suddenly look at Alla with such a long, intent gaze and say meaningfully: “ But Allochka and I hide absolutely nothing from each other.” Alla answers him with a clear look - it’s immediately clear that she really doesn’t intend to hide anything. And all the guests here, of course, respectfully fall silent. And yet - they have nothing to cover with.
Of course, if you look at this issue objectively, you will have to admit that in fact they had absolutely nothing to tell each other. They were a friendly, loving family and did not allow themselves any such liberties. Well, think for yourself: you shouldn’t admit to Allochka how for a moment her gaze lingered on the jeans-clad buttocks of a young electrician who was changing the wiring in their office. Or: is it worth telling Sergei what exactly he thought about when he accidentally saw how Yanochka the secretary was pulling up her black fishnet stockings. All these insignificant episodes mean absolutely nothing and, truly, do not even deserve mention.
One evening, Alla was returning home from work, as usual, taking a shortcut through the grove adjacent to the microdistrict. There was nothing exceptional in such an act: the places here were unusually calm, and at this time one could only meet neighbors on the path walking before dinner. Therefore, she walked completely calmly and serenely, swatting away mosquitoes and enjoying the fresh forest air.
Suddenly, from behind a tree, a small old man, almost a dwarf, stepped out onto the path, carefully stepping with his patent-leather boots. He was wearing a buttoned yellow checkered coat and a dark blue Borsalino hat pulled down to his ears. In his left hand the old man held a cane, and in his right hand a well-worn old-fashioned pigskin briefcase. Stopping right in front of the woman, he looked ingratiatingly straight into her eyes and said politely:
- Hello, madam.
Of course, Allochka just had to pass by, not paying attention to this strange little man. But, unfortunately, she was a well-mannered and intelligent woman. Besides, no one had ever called her madam. Therefore, stopping, Allochka politely answered the greeting:
- Hello.
“Meow for me, madam,” said the old man. - Only three times. Please, I beg you very much.
“Crazy,” Alla thought, and said out loud:
- Sorry, I have to go.
With these words, she tried to walk around the old man from the side. But he, taking a step to the side, blocked her path and said plaintively:
- Well, meow, please. I'll pay you. Twenty five thousand dollars.
Alla had never had to deal with crazy people before. She looked around helplessly, but there was no one around who could help the confused woman. Meanwhile, the old man repeated tearfully:
- Well, please meow. Just three times. I beg you very much, madam.
Seeing no other way to get rid of the annoying psycho, burning with shame, Alla quietly said: “Meow, meow, meow.”
“Thank you, madam,” the old man said calmly and, opening the briefcase, pulled out, one after another, five green packets tied with paper tape. Alla was so stunned by what was happening that she didn’t even recoil when he put these packs into her stiff palms.
After politely saying goodbye, the strange man disappeared into the forest as if he had never existed. Alla probably might have thought that all this strange story she simply dreamed it, if not for this very real pile of dollars in her hands...
Her purse was too small to hold that amount of money. Alla never managed to close the zipper, and stacks of dollars defiantly protruded from the shamelessly open throat. I had to wrap them in an old yellowed newspaper, luckily found right there on the path.
Clutching this unpresentable bundle to her chest, cowering under the perplexed glances of her neighbors, Alla almost ran to the door of her apartment.
Sergei was not there yet. Having laid out the dollars on the sofa, she carefully examined the green pieces of paper with portraits of American presidents. The story that happened to her was absolutely incredible, but the money turned out to be quite real. It was just completely unclear how to explain their origin to my husband. Not thinking of anything better, Alla carefully put them in a plastic bag and hid them in the basket with dirty laundry.
Several days passed. Alla had already gotten used to the idea that she had such an unimaginable amount of money at her disposal and even slowly began to think about how best to spend it. However, for this it was necessary to initiate Sergei into incredible story the emergence of such wealth. After thinking a little, she decided to tell him everything as it is. It’s not for nothing that she and her husband decided not to hide anything from each other.
- In a checkered coat, you say? – Sergei looked at her intently, tilting his head to the side.
“Yes,” Alla answered, “in a coat and a hat.”
– Do you think I look like an idiot?
- No, Seryozha. You don't look like an idiot at all.
“Then why do you think I’ll believe this baby talk?”
– I told you the truth, Seryozha. All the truth. – For some reason, Alla did not dare to raise her eyes to her husband.
He stood up and, walking around his chair, turned to face his wife, squeezing wooden back with white knuckles.
- Allah, please... tell me the truth. No matter how bitter it may be.
She was silent, intuitively understanding that any word she said would only further strengthen her husband in his suspicions.
Sergei spent the night alone, sleeping on the sofa in the living room.
From this ill-fated day all of them family life went wrong. In the evenings, returning from work, Sergei, without saying a word, lay down on his sofa, leaving the dinner she had carefully prepared untouched. A cold silence of alienation settled in the house. Alla realized that the ship of her marriage would soon sink completely and irrevocably. Unless, of course, you take any emergency measures to save him...
That evening, when Sergei was already covering his sofa with a sheet, Alla quietly entered the living room and said in a broken whisper:
– Seryozha, ... I want to tell you the whole truth ...
They sat down at the table in the kitchen and, having drunk a little dry wine for courage, Alla told her husband how she had come across a group of bandits in a grove. They invited her to fulfill their basest desires and, for her diligence, presented her with a small, by their standards, amount of money. To be sure, she added a number of physiological details, which, in her opinion, should have given the story credibility.
Alla apparently went a little overboard with the physiological details, because after listening to her story to the end, Sergei got up and left the house...
He wandered the night streets for a long time, unconscious from pain and despair. Then for some reason he wandered into the station and, peering into the wasted faces of cheap prostitutes, tortured himself, trying to imagine how exactly his Alla satisfied the base desires of the bandits.
Late at night, when sleep and fatigue took their toll, he returned home, rationally deciding that this apartment belonged to him, as well as to his wife. And her vile behavior does not yet give the right to drive him out into the street like a dog.
Hearing the key turn door lock, Alla smiled. A woman's intuition told her that, despite her husband's impetuous reaction, the decision she made was the only correct one. Turning on her side, she, for the first time in last days, fell asleep in a healthy, serene sleep.
In two days of completely ignoring his wife, Sergei exhausted all his emotional resources and, devastated, decided to have a serious conversation with Alla, with the goal of finally clarifying all relations.
Alla sat in front of him, humbly lowering her eyes and folding her hands on her tightly knit knees. Her soul was filled with a joyful premonition of reconciliation.
- Alla, you and I need to talk seriously.
She nodded slightly.
“Alla...” Sergei began. - Of course, you did a terrible thing. But, nevertheless, I respect you for finding the strength to tell me the whole truth, no matter how ugly it may be.
Allochka shifted a little in her chair, as if agreeing with the proposed assessment of the situation.
“The most important thing,” Sergei continued, “is that you didn’t hide anything from me.” And therefore, no matter what, I hope we will be able to maintain our mutual trust.
To cope with his excitement, Sergei took a short break. Alla was still silent.
“Alla...” Sergei continued. – It seems to me that I could forgive you, if, of course, you promise me that this will never, ... never happen again.
- Never ever! – Allochka resolutely promised and, jumping up from the chair, hugged her husband tightly, pressing her body, yearning for male affection, to him.
For twenty-five thousand dollars, Alla and Sergei made a very decent European-quality renovation in their apartment. The remaining money was enough for them to purchase an inexpensive foreign car, as well as many unnecessary, but tempting things that, in fact, decorate our unsightly gray reality.
Their family life gradually returned to normal. As before, they raise children and meet with friends. However, now, when Sergei, looking meaningfully at his wife, says: “But Allochka and I are hiding absolutely nothing from each other,” she silently lowers her eyes and thinks about something of her own, feminine.
If everything related to truth or lies were simple and understandable, the people would not have the expression “better the bitter truth than sweet lie».
However, this saying is found in almost all languages of the world. Let's figure out which is better and whether there really is a better of these two evils.
Better means "more profitable"
Alas, most often when people talk about choice, the advice is aimed solely at achieving their own benefits. Agree, it is ridiculous to somehow follow advice that will leave you in the “fool”. The saying “better the bitter truth than a sweet lie” is no exception. What is meant here is not the moral side of the issue, but one’s own interests. After all, it is obviously clear that by telling the truth, you will remain “clean”, not soiling yourself with the mud of lies. So what if such truth can cause pain and suffering to someone? “I’m clean!” the ego will say. “Yes, it’s unpleasant, but it was the truth!” It turns out that if you move away from the principle known from childhood, nothing bad will happen? Moreover, a lie can be salutary, while the truth can harm and destroy? We'll figure out!
Fools and children always tell the truth
Children don't tend to lie. The kids are so truthful and natural in their rightness that they shamelessly point their fingers at strangers, filling the space with “unpleasant” questions: “Mom, why is uncle so fat?”, “Why is this aunt dressed like a parrot?”
It is not difficult to guess who first teaches a child to lie - of course, the parents. It could be “Shhh!”, or it could be a gift in the form of a slap on the head. And the baby understands that the truth, such as it is, can be very unpleasant and even painful. As the child grows up, he notices more and more lies around him and gets involved in this mutually beneficial game. After all, the world is not a holiday, you don’t want to go to school, you don’t want to do your homework, you don’t want your parents to scold you for a bad grade. We ask ourselves: “What is better - a bitter truth than a sweet lie?” in early childhood. However, the issue of truth and honesty only intensifies with age.
There is only one truth
You may have heard the expression: “There is only one truth.” This is a very commonly used saying when we're talking about about morality, good and evil, things “right” and “wrong.” Meanwhile, if you dig deeper, it turns out that everything is not so simple.
For one person evil is abstract, for another it is concrete. Some people believe in justice, while others believe that everything has been bought and everyone in the world is for themselves. Imagine that there is a war between two nations. Ask a representative of one people - who is right in this war? Of course, he will answer that his side is right, but his opponents are both evil and insidious. But his opponent will also stand his ground, claiming that the truth is on their side. If this thought experiment does not seem convincing to you, then conduct your own, real one.
Interview several people (your parents, friends). Ask them questions like: “What is truth?”, “What does it mean to act honestly?”, “What is untruth?” You will see that everyone will give their own answer related to their own life experience and the baggage of experiences. Finally, ask: “Which is better, the bitter truth or the sweet lie?”, and you will again hear different answers. It's simple - a person judges solely from his past. Someone encountered a lie, suffered from it and now does not accept it. And someone has become a victim of the truth, naked and merciless, and now prefers to close their eyes to the facts, to hear lies, but without pain. It turns out that the question is: “What is better, the bitter truth or the sweet lie?” doomed to remain unanswered?
Everyone has their own truth
Sometimes it is not easy to come to the truth. As they say: “How many people, so many opinions,” and this means that Meanwhile, deep down, everyone knows the correct answer to the question. And this is for all the accumulated experience, for the traumas of the past and the wounds of the present. Each person can deny something out loud, disagree with something in his mind, but deep down we all know the only true answer.
It doesn't matter what kind of God you believe in or what religion you profess. You can be a convinced atheist and deny the existence of the Almighty. And you can have any position in life. But agree: in any situation you always feel what would happen the right decision. No matter what happens, at every moment you can clearly say what should be done. But we most often act as it would be more profitable for us or as circumstances dictate.
What is this for? Because every person always knows what is best. How to do the right thing so that everyone feels good. Moreover, the inner voice sometimes puts the interests of others above its own.
For the inner voice to answer
Every time we are faced with a situation called “better the bitter truth than a sweet lie,” we also hear an inner voice. We have been told many times that the truth is always better.
We have heard that the bitterest truth is better than the sweetest lie, and sometimes we blindly followed this rule. And tell me honestly - has this always led to good results? Was a person always happy to hear the truth, or would he rather make do with a lie? It turns out that half the time you can lie - and it will be for the good.
Don't follow stereotypes
Forget about the so-called rules if you want to live happily ever after on this planet! Who told us that the bitter truth is better than a sweet lie? Parents who themselves taught us to lie. Teachers who are not role models.
Other people who tend to make mistakes. All rules are invented by people, and what they come up with does not work in almost half of the cases. Don’t ask yourself: “A bitter truth is better than a sweet lie - is that true?” Remember your life situations when you followed this rule. Did this lead to good result? Has the truth caused you and people suffering? There is no truth! There are a million circumstances and situations, and there are many ways out of them.
The only truth is not to harm yourself or others. If harm is the so-called “truth,” then sometimes a sweet lie is better than the bitter truth.
When is it okay to lie?
You yourself know the answer to the question about the ethics of lying. You can lie when the truth can destroy and cause pain. This is not about blissful ignorance. But the thing is, sometimes the truth can turn the tide completely human life, make it worse. A person may be so unprepared for the truth that it can literally kill him. In this case, the dilemma “better a bitter truth than a sweet lie” should not even arise.
Focus on your inner voice
Even being brought up in certain traditions, we still always know the best option our behavior or reaction. A person is not a machine, not a robot or an animal.
Yes, sometimes we are guided by instincts, sometimes by education, but nothing can drown out the voice of the soul and heart. People who live in accordance with their inner instincts are the most calm - because they always act “in truth.” Of course, not all actions in this case will be determined by their own benefit, and, nevertheless, they will be the best choice.
Forget about stereotypes. Don't worry about choosing anything - these are created by people for fun. Live according to what your heart tells you. This is the best compass in life's ups and downs.
A world where truth reigns and the inhabitants are happy is nothing more than a utopia. Such a reality is impossible, because people subconsciously avoid the destructive truth in order to protect themselves. But folk proverb says: “Better the bitter truth than the sweet lie.” What does this expression actually mean and is the truth really better? Let's try to figure it out.
The place of lies in everyday life
The proverb “Better the bitter truth than a sweet lie” has been known to every person since school. And probably everyone has faced this dilemma: to tell the truth or to lie. After all, sometimes the only way out is to hide the real state of affairs.
“Better the bitter truth than a sweet lie” - this proverb is bipolar, because no matter how you look at it: lying is bad and something needs to be done about lies. But on the other hand, the world exists only thanks to lies. For example, political leaders call Third World countries “promising” and “ready to develop” rather than “backward.” Many will call this common decency, political or business etiquette, although in fact this is a lie.
But it is precisely this lie that allows states to coexist peacefully with each other. After all, it is quite likely that if you call a country underdeveloped, a war will break out. But this time not for resources, freedom or territory, but for an offended feeling self-esteem its inhabitants.
The lies on which society rests
A lie can be called any information that a person deliberately hides or presents in a distorted form. And in Everyday life there is a lot of room for lies: children's fairy tales, non-existent characters, rules of behavior according to which a person cannot express all his dissatisfaction to his face. And this is only a small part of the lies, thanks to which relative peace and tranquility can be observed in society.
But is it possible to find the truth in this case? Mark Twain once said, “Only children and fools will tell the truth.” The conclusion is clear: wise people and adults tend to lie.
The truth is necessary
The truth is so unpleasant that it is hard to come to terms with. Of course, it is good to know if there is nothing left to hope for; this gives a person freedom of further actions. But not everyone can proudly raise their head and accept the bitter truth. With the dilemma “Which is better: the bitter truth or the sweet lie?” British scientists tried to cope. During the experiment, patients from UK clinics were interviewed. Respondents were asked whether they would like to know the whole truth about their illness.
The study revealed that 90% of patients want to know only the truth. They are sure that in such matters the bitter truth is better than a sweet lie. Many healthy people believe that patients should not know everything, but the majority of patients say that they would like to have information about the severity of the disease. After all, in the event of a death, they will know for sure that they have a certain time limit and will not waste it in vain.
Paradox
Apparently, people really demand the truth. But when they begin to be mistaken about what is important to them, they easily plunge into the ideal world created by a white lie. A person does not like lies and despises them in every possible way, but at the same time it is impossible to find someone who speaks only the truth. Lying to your boss, hiding your real thoughts from friends, telling your parents that everything is fine at work, but in fact solving problems and smiling in response to the question “How are you?” - these situations are familiar to everyone. The unpleasant truth is one of those things that people choose to ignore.
But still, the bitter truth is better than a sweet lie. Lies have one unpleasant feature - they will be revealed. And when the truth comes to the surface, a person loses not only his status, authority and image, but also the trust of others. And it is not so easy to restore.
But on the other hand, honesty can also cause harm. As they say in criminal circles: “Witnesses don’t live long.” And knowing the truth and the possibility of revealing it sometimes provokes people to do terrible things.
How are they taught to think?
Even in school years, the problem of writing an essay “Better the bitter truth than a sweet lie” arises. In each such work you can read different stories about schoolchildren who did something incorrect, but the children felt ashamed and they admitted what they had done.
The thematic story “Better a bitter truth than a sweet lie” can have the following format:
“There were two girlfriends in one class. One studied well, while the other had difficulty in subjects. But the one who studied poorly had a sick mother, and she tried to upset her as little as possible. When was the next one test, a girl who was a bad student copied her friend’s assignment. Of course, she was given an A, but the girl was not happy with such an assessment. She approached the teacher and honestly said that she had cheated and asked for a bad grade. The teacher praised her for her honesty and corrected her grade. But the girl, on the contrary, was pleased with this, even though she carried a bad mark in her briefcase, but it was well deserved and honestly earned.”
In stories like this early years we are taught that telling the truth will make you feel better. Here there is more emphasis on the moral and emotional aspect: the truth will be praised, the truth will give a pleasant feeling of relief, etc.
What should a decent person do?
More from youth people are taught this way simple rules behavior that is based on truth and conscience:
- Tell only the truth about yourself.
- A decent person is an honest person.
- For an unfulfilled promise, you need to apologize on time.
- Promises should always be kept.
- You should always be honest.
- You can't talk about someone who isn't around.
- An opinion about a person should be told to him alone, and not to the public.
On a fine line
As you can see, there are many unaddressed gaps in the rules, because a person is designed in such a way that he cannot speak exclusively the truth. There are situations in life when it is necessary to lie, but you need to be able to assess the situation and understand what is better to say and what should be kept silent. Lies can be resorted to only in the most extreme cases.
In English, “The bitter truth is better than a sweet lie” will sound like this: The bitter truth is better than a sweet lie. But the essence of the expression expressed in another language remains unchanged: having lied even once, a person can forever lose trust and is doomed to constantly prove the veracity of his words.
Why is the truth better?
No matter how common lies may be, words of truth will always be the best in everyday use. Why is the bitter truth always better than a sweet lie? There are several reasons for this:
- People who tell the truth are always confident in themselves (they are not afraid of exposure).
- Their advice is listened to.
- People who tell the truth are feared and respected at the same time.
- Those who tell the truth have better health than those who lie.
You can give thousands of arguments for and against lying. Even in school curriculum There is an assignment to write an essay on this topic.
The essay “Why the bitter truth is better than a sweet lie” is not such a rare occurrence in Russian language lessons. Alternatively, you can structure your work as follows:
- Introduction. It is worth talking about the contradiction between truth and lies in society.
- Main part. Write short story about the importance of truth for a person.
- Final part. To summarize, we can say that you should always understand the situation before lying.
As an example, you can give the following text:
“A virtuous lie rarely justifies its existence, and the truth, no matter how cruel, is better than a false hope. But in a world where society is fundamentally built on lies, this is rarely thought about until something unexpected happens.
A young doctor who came to the clinic not long ago specialized in diseases nervous system. One day he received a patient - a 10-year-old boy who had symptoms of Lou Gehrig's disease. This disease leads to a gradual breakdown of the central nervous system. The person gradually stops walking, moving, and talking. He has only two options: either a healthy person turns into a “vegetable”, or he dies from failure of the muscles of the respiratory tract.
The doctor did not tell the boy anything about the seriousness of his illness, but only assured that everything would be fine and he would definitely get better. The doctor did not want to upset the young patient with the terrible news that he would no longer be able to walk and his life would change forever as the disease progressed. But the disease took over earlier than the doctor expected. In the morning, when he came to the hospital, the young patient was already in the department and was immobilized. He had to tell the whole truth. The boy began to cry and could only say one thing: “Doctor, give me back my time.”
If the boy had known the truth sooner, he would have had a little time to walk more, talk more and get more out of life while he could.”
Proverb “Better a bitter truth than a sweet lie” in modern world seems to be a controversial phenomenon. On the one hand, we are taught to tell the truth, but on the other, society has always had an etiquette of reticence. Here the choice depends solely on the person: is he ready to boldly face the truth and present it, or will he build barricades from fragments of lies, fencing himself off from reality. And when the choice falls on the second option for the development of events, you just need to imagine what will happen when the truth emerges and someone asks: “Give me back my time.”
