5 reasons why lying has huge negative consequences in life.

With the rare exception for the occasional “white lie”, such as “I was stuck 5 minutes in traffic “as opposed to “I wanted to sleep a bit later”, lying is a slippery slope that can have huge negative consequences in one's life. It tears down your very mental fabric and diminishes your relationship with others, it is truly a “Devil’s bargain” .Unfortunately the more educated and sophisticated we become the more attractive “spinning” a story makes sense.

Here are 5 reasons why you should tell the truth:

It is harder to remember the story behind a lie than the truth-

Liars have to keep all of the untrue facts in order as they continue to weave their story. That can be a heck of a lot of work, no wonder they can’t sleep at night. That is a great deal to remember, the brain has better, and more ethical, use. It is much easier relaying the facts.

Lying blurs reality.

This is an important one. After a while liars start believe their lies, it becomes pathological. Substituting imagination for reality can produce devastating negative emotions.

You eventually lose all credibility.

Just look at the challenges the average politician faces. They have been “spinning” for so long their credibility is shot. One wrong move and they are finished. Truth tellers can survive even the worst mistakes. Confessing to the truth resonates with basic human forgiveness, this is a gift from God.

You damage your closest relationships.

Eventually, like any heinous habit, liars start to lie to everyone, even and especially those closest to them. They damage the very relationships that are most important to our “earthly journey”. Sadly this is a transgression that is very hard to mend.

No one is worth it.

This one is my favorite. When one lies they are basically acknowledging that the opinion of others matters so much they would be willing to create a falsehood for acceptance.  No one is worth that effort. A confident person would never stoop to that level and you should not either.

The picture above is a picture of my High School, Xaverian in Brooklyn. Inscribed outside the front door was a credo; “The truth shall set you free". Although many years have passed I still remember that doctrine. It has served me well in the worst ,and best of times.