Lies: Small Lies

We all lie. The reasons are many and varied, but we have all lied and continue to do so daily. I am not saying it is a bad thing, nor am I saying it is a good thing. But it is something we all do.
Now I would guess some of you don't believe me right now. Some of you probably think of yourselves as honest people. I dare say, however, that even you lie, and lie frequently. Have you ever said "I'm fine" when you weren't? I think that is the biggest and most frequent lie people tell. I know it is for me. Have you ever found yourself rushing around the house cleaning frantically before a guest arrives? I know that seems a little weird in this list but why do you do that? In general it is because you want your guest to think of you as a neat, clean person...even though in reality you're not. Have you ever given an insincere compliment? Have you ever told someone you're too busy to do something with or for them even when you have absolutely nothing planned? Online, have you ever said "afk" or "brb" when you aren't actually going anywhere or have no intention of coming back, you just don't feel like talking anymore? I am sure you have done one or more of these things, just as I have. We are all liars.
Are these bad things to say or do? I think it depends. Society or culture or maybe just human nature punishes us for telling the truth in many of those cases. Most people really couldn't care less how you're actually doing when they ask (a form of lying in itself), and telling them the truth only drives them away. Everyone knows that nobody keeps a clean house all the time, yet we make character judgments if we visit a messy house. Insincere compliments are in general your own fault, as you aren't punished for not giving them. However, you are sometimes rewarded if you do. The last two essentially go together. We would like to tell the truth sometimes in those cases...but we can't, not without causing pain or offense to the person we are interacting with (or trying not to interact with).
So essentially, you see, we are all liars. We all lie. Even without pressure from society in certain ways, we would still be liars, I think. It is part of our nature. We all want to be accepted by those around us, and we all do our best to fit in. Invariably that means telling at least a few lies.

This is Part One of the series "Lies." Part Two, "Big Lies," can be found here.