Growing Up Dressed In Lies

As Americans, we all grow up being told that lying is a wrong. We grow up being frowned upon for little white lies and anything short of the truth. From day one, children are expected to tell the truth, when in reality, their surroundings are doing nothing but lying to them. The safe atmosphere is a lie. The childhood traditions, such as the Easter Bunny, Santa, and the Tooth Fairy, are a lie. The acceptance of certain behaviors became an even bigger lie. As a child grows, the reality of lies pile on like layers of clothing that slowly begin to hold them back from daily tasks and activities. The child slowly falls into a trap of lies. They begin lying about not lying and get into the habit of relying on such lies to get them by in life and to be accepted by society. In Jeff Hancock's TED Talk entitled "The Future of Lying", Hancock addresses the fact that humans lie multiple times a day. The reality of this is that lying is becoming more and more of a ritual rather than a mistake. The average citizen lies without realizing it. The lies flow with the truth until there is no distinct difference. Children are told not to lie during a period in time when they witness a lie every single day of their life. Children are raised not to lie, but grow up in the habit of lying. It is reverse psychology. The child slowly grows up being exposed to lies and eventually becomes an adult that is the liar in the situation. Children are innocent and highly truthful and eventually, they turn to the complete opposite when they hit adulthood. Children wake up every morning, brush their teeth, and dress themselves in layers of lies for the day.