White Lies

       Many people have the following experience. We tell our moms the food she cooks is delicious even though it tastes terrible. We do not want to hurt her feelings because she spends lots of time preparing this meal. Therefore, we tell a white lie.

       A White lie is a trivial untruth and harmless fib, especially one told to be tactful or polite, or for some diplomatic reasons. White has always been the color of purity, safety, innocence, cleanliness, and harmlessness. The term using white is to separate it from the darker lies that are told to hide their mistakes, to commit a crime, or to reach an evil purpose.

        Most people, even those who insist that they would never tell a lie, have told a white lie. Frequently, a white lie is used in our daily life. For instance, when we get a gift but we do not like it, we still say excitedly: “Thank you very much! I love it.” If we are considerate enough, we will think that the giver must have spent a lot of time choosing this gift. Of course they are expecting for our surprise and favorite expression. On the contrary, if we say this gift is so cheap or useless frankly, the atmosphere will freeze suddenly and then our broken relationship with the giver will be difficult to be recovered. A White lie is the best way to avoiding this kind of tense situations. 

        For another example, when our teachers, teammates, or bosses ask us to do some urgent missions, we answer: “I will start working on that as soon as possible.” In fact, we have 10 things which are more pressing to do first. We tell a white lie or we will irritate them and even will be fired.

        Furthermore, some kinds of white lie such as age are difficult to be distinguished from a lie. Many 30-year-old people, especially women, always say: “I am 29.” because 29 is like 20 years younger than 30. When it comes to age, many people are reluctant to face the reality. I think it is a kind of white lie because it will harm no one at all. However, if someone lies about their age to meet the age restrictions, it is not a white lie but just a lie. Worst of all, they may commit a crime.

       As long as we are not hurting others or breaking the law, a white lie is necessary in our society and can make life more pleasant. When I was young, I do not understand why we should pretend ourselves to cater to other people’s expectations. Gradually, I realize hiding the truth is a natural human instinct because it is the easy way out. We all do it, so there is no reason to deny it. Now, I know telling a white lie properly is a symbol of matureness. It is a great lesson we can learn from experiences. I think our world will be more peaceful because of our white lies.