Over the years, grown-ups used stories to illustrate different scenarios and pass down valuable lessons. Some individuals chose to be creative telling very lovely stories while others told real-life events and experiences for different reasons; one of which is the attention such stories direct towards the narrator.
As a child, I Ioved stories and story-tellers. I saw stories as a form of entertainment especially when there was no power supply (Yes, I am African). Let's face it, every home had a mix both good and bad story-tellers. Initially, I cared less of the type found in my family however, I slowly began to tell the difference between good/creative story-tellers and liers. While some told good fictional stories, other chose to tell a bunch of unwarranted lies under the umbrella of real-life experiences.
Yes, children are young and naive, but it's unsafe to think that they are not smart or clueless. I was that very inquisitive child who could be seen as annoying. My aunts and uncles started giving me defensive responses at a very early age to preserve their images or continue their lies when they told stories. However, this never stopped me from being an advocate to eradicate the disguised lies told under story-telling.
Fast forward to our present time, story-telling and lies are still issues youngsters deal with. People still tell false personal experiences and are caught by children that think the way I did. To be honest, there are good lies one could enjoy and there are some that just blows our mind away. For example, a simple lie of being so fast as flash could be easily waved off but being told that some robbers came to a house to steal a swimming pool leaves you with an expression like this....
Now as a young man, I have realized that people lie for different reasons and I have gained a better understanding why people would choose to do so. In my opinion, these reasons are centered around what I've called "LIE"; Love, Intelligence, and Ego. Some people lie because they simply love it. Yes, lies are told in serious situations, however, some people plan their lies weigh ahead of time. Similarly, people lie because they believe they are more intelligent than others and therefore try to outsmart others. In other instances, people lie to preserve their ego especially to escape crucial consequences.
Finally, lies only become offensive when the truth is revealed. A wise man once said, "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it". It's wisdom to act good when the truth is out. I guess you've just spent the last few minutes reading lies.
People lie so as not to hurt others.
Stories are not a lie....they are a way of telling a better truth (Archetypal stories).
Thank you for the post.
@mmo-mmo Thanks for reading
Interesting write up...this reminds me of the times my uncles and aunties would exaggerate something that happened just to scare us....now should these exaggerated stories be considered lies? #justasking