Too many times we turn off the news in disbelief and disgust.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s ugly; there\u2019s too much wickedness and wrongdoing in the world, as \u2014 save for one \u201980\u2019s pop song \u2014 most of us realize that heaven is not a place on Earth.<\/p>\n
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One of the more frequent motives for current head shaking is all the lies \u2014 or perhaps better said \u2014 all the potential<\/em> lies.\u00a0 The deceit.\u00a0 The cover up.\u00a0 The shifting of blame.\u00a0 It\u2019s almost robotic that when a person is accused of wrongdoing, they immediately claim responsibility rests elsewhere…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He did it.\u00a0 She did it.\u00a0 I wasn\u2019t in charge then.\u00a0 It\u2019s his fault.\u00a0 Who, me?\u00a0 I\u2019m a victim…<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Not only is responsibility immediately deflected, most add an instant reason why another is actually to blame…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He doesn\u2019t like me.\u00a0 She\u2019s out to get me.\u00a0 He\u2019s too young.\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t know any better.\u00a0 They love persecuting Christians.\u00a0 Bigots, that\u2019s what they are…<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n … like the chairwoman of Louisiana\u2019s Democratic Party, who said last week that much of the opposition to Obamacare is due to the color of Pres. Obama\u2019s skin.\u00a0 Please.\u00a0 The Intramuralist read the legislation when proposed.\u00a0 There is much to be concerned about (i.e. rising premiums, government overreach, care decisions based on cost \u2014 such as for the elderly and overweight…)<\/em>, but the concern has nothing to do with anyone\u2019s skin color.\u00a0 Ah, but lest I digress…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n My point is that regardless of politics or personally awkward scenarios, there exists a huge potential for deceit.\u00a0 As we watch the disturbing scandals unfold, for example, within the IRS and Justice Dept., the challenge is that we can\u2019t tell who and when someone is telling the truth.\u00a0 Friends, don\u2019t let me infer that I believe all individuals are lying; the problem is that we can\u2019t tell<\/em> if they are.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And so we ask:\u00a0 what keeps a person from lying?\u00a0 Really.\u00a0 What keeps us from being deceitful?\u00a0 What stops us from sharing a little white lie or even a huge fib?\u00a0 What within us stops us from shifting that blame elsewhere?\u00a0 … or from just declaring \u201cI don\u2019t remember\u201d? (… the current, least-damaging deceit method \u2014 because if we can\u2019t remember, we can\u2019t possibly tell the truth.)<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Seriously, though, what stops us from lying?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It isn\u2019t intelligence.\u00a0 There is no moral compass automatically associated with intellectual brilliance.\u00a0 James Frey, author of the autobiographical \u201cA Million Little Pieces<\/em>,\u201d seemed highly intelligent when he appeared on \u201cOprah.\u201d\u00a0 Granted, it was fairly humbling when he had to admit that many of the events in his quite profitable bestseller were intentionally fabricated.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What keeps us from lying?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A position of power?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 The 37th President of the United States, one Richard M. Nixon, put that reason to rest.\u00a0 Does the lie depend on topic?\u00a0 Many claimed President #42\u2019s lies under oath were acceptable because \u201ceverybody lies about sex.\u201d\u00a0 Did Pres. Bush lie about weapons of mass destruction?\u00a0 Did Pres. Obama lie about Benghazi?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If we instead suggest that people refrain from lying because of that inner moral compass, I\u2019m not certain that theory holds true either, as a close examination of society quickly depicts morality as increasingly relative.\u00a0 Many of what was once considered wicked or wrong now seems actually accepted as good and pure and wise.\u00a0 Friends, don\u2019t misquote me; I am not suggesting that discrimination or disrespect was ever appropriately \u201cconsidered wicked or wrong.\u201d\u00a0 My perception is that morality has become so relative that it\u2019s logical to conclude that \u201cto lie or not to lie\u201d will also become a negative manifestation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n People lie.\u00a0 People always have the potential to lie.\u00a0 Even good people.\u00a0 Unless we adopt a timeless teaching of truth that doesn\u2019t sway with the winds of society, the potential for each of us to lie will only continue to increase.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Respectfully,<\/p>\n AR<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Too many times we turn off the news in disbelief and disgust.\u00a0 Sometimes it\u2019s ugly; there\u2019s too much wickedness and wrongdoing in the world, as \u2014 save for one \u201980\u2019s pop song \u2014 most of us realize that heaven is not a place on Earth. One of the more frequent motives for current head … <\/p>\n