Spiritual Forum

Looking back in my life, I have very often met people being not considered special publicly - many were handicapped ones, and many simply ordinary, poor guys. And I have observed a phenomenon which I was not aware for many years: many of those folks is often lying when telling stories.

And since those simple minded persons opened my understanding of people I got to deal with in my academic career, I´m very thankful having come in such experiences.

The range of lies humans use to expose is simply incredible. We humans lie in almost every situation, at all places and times of our existence. And demanding truthfulness above all has not changed that dilemma neither. It seems, that humans are somewhat "born liars" or "liars by nature", which needs some deeper considerations.

Generally, conscious being is linked to emotions and feelings. It has to do with encountering the strange, with experiencing limits, frontiers and fear. Lies in this regard serve as "protecting shelters" - before entering a strange space or after having entered while feeling strong insecurities. The encountering subject feels more comfortable in calling back a status quo and denying the new situation - and lies more or less. It needs lots of confidence and practice to internalize former experiences (which have shown that new steps do not need any fear) in order to encounter the obvious and - the truth. As long as the obvious and truthful is linked to fear, the conscious subject must lie in order to survive (or at least that appears to the subject).

The old greek sage Epiktet is surely right with his word: People are not disturbed by things, but by the view (or thoughts, greek dogmata) they take of them. Yes, the view or thought people take of things is the problem of every process of perception, adaption and encounter. The truth of a thing - while undergoing  views and thoughts - is a process of undergoing more or less fear and obstacles. And by lying humans confess that following truthful ways is not that simple - that lying at certain times seems more comfortable than overthrowing and encountering fear as it appears. Later on the subject might find his lying ridiculous and silly, but generally lying is a sign of a conscious subject not preliminarily under pressure, but under challenge: existential challenge appearing under pressure.

Such insight might help dealing with the lie - phenomenon in a more easy-going way. Despite having cases of lies threatening lives and wellbeing of humans, the existencial impact should provide a more softer look at the subject: a more merciful view. And by time you get even a sharper look giving you an exact impression whether someone is lying or not - you simply know and have a more or less understanding of deeper relations. Sometimes you feel an even deeper compassion with a subject lying...

It is unbelievable what stories a lying subject is not seldom compelled to tell, and some of these stories are worth of having been written down as literature. I remember I guy - an unwashed, dirty person with hardly teeth in his mouth, who always appeared in a uniform at church festivals saying, he works in a special force of the police, but in fact the uniform was a phantasy one - I had much fun with him over a long period. I was really fascinated by his invented stories which went on to incredible hights. In his lies he was an excellent story teller. And he became better when he felt he has found someone (me) who took him serious. Later he came with his friend which was a strange bird too (when we had prayer meetings, the friend - a mentally disturbed guy - spoke long prayers with an exalted voice of an 18th century person, and I remember it gave me and others such a hard time not to laugh loudly while he was praying; once he praised the grace of God with words of Grimm´s tale Schlauraffen Land; still today I must laugh when thinking about those two guys).

Greetings from Germany!