Lies

There was a study done that said the average person lies four times a day. That means, we lie, on average, 1,460 times per year! This got me thinking about truth, lies and the "in between" part. Sometimes we lie to spare a friend an unnecessary truth. "How do I look?" Oh, boy, that can be a loaded question. Do we really want to know or are we seeking general approval and validation? Do we want to know the stripes make our back side look the size of Texas or do we want to hear that the color green really brings out the color of our eyes? Do we lie more to close friends or acquaintances? Do we lie more to family or gladly slap them with the truth, no matter how harsh? The most common lie, in my opinion, is when we answer the often asked question, "How are you?" and we answer, "I am fine." Many of us are not fine. We carry burdens about our family, our health, our finances, etc. that make us far from "fine". It is the socially expected answer and yet, it is often not the truth. For whatever reason, we choose to keep the truth to ourselves and offer up the pat answer. It is easier. It is safer. We want to appear together and good and fine. We figure most people don't want the detailed, truthful answer about how we are. It may be too revealing, almost like wearing a bathing suit in public. All of our flaws, bumps and ripples are showing. What if they don't like us after they see the real us? Too scary. At a sales seminar I attended years ago, the speaker suggested that when people ask you, "How is business?", you always answer "Unbelievable!". This can mean it is unbelievably bad or unbelievably good. Either way, it is the truth without revealing too much. It may just work in our daily life as well. So...how are you...really???