On Lying: We are part truth and part deception, like Ardhanareeswara.

How do you know that I am not a woman?

And if I am a woman, would anything change in the way you relate to me?

I got asked this question, and I immediately responded, "Not in the least; man, woman, either or neither- it doesn't matter, especially in the web, where you can cut and run".

How do you feel about it? If I put up a photo of a woman, how would you react to me?

Actually I don't like to be asked questions of this kind- don't want to look behind appearances. Afraid of what will be revealed.

I like to put things upfront, I say as much as I want to- and that is it, I believe it is honest. And when someone comes and suggests that there could be deception, it disturbs me, because I think deep underneath we all deceive, whether through untruth or misdirection.

There was a wonderful article by Errol Morris that I recently read, Seven Lies about Lying (Part 1), and Seven Lies about Lying (Part 2), I hope you read it because it is readable- entertaining and informative.

"Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –", Morris quotes Emily Dickinson.

That is what we all do, don't we!

But there is nothing to feel guilty about that-

• because a lie is not the opposite of truth (it could be that you are misinformed- and who is to say you are not?);
• a lie is not a falsehood (it could be that you really believe it- and who is to say whether your belief is justified by fact or not?);
• you cannot consistently lie without contradicting yourself (not so- it is truth that perplexes us with its paradoxes);
• a lie cannot be justified, ever ("There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible"- Thomas Jefferson. But who is to sit in judgment of our justifications- you cannot outlaw all justification and rationalisation, can you?);
• lying is avoidable ("“No high-minded man, no man of right feeling, can contemplate the lumbering and slovenly lying of the present day without grieving to see a noble art so prostituted.”"- Mark Twain. Lying is in fact an art, an embellishment of truth we cannot do without)
• a lie is a threat to truth (a lie has nothing to do with truth- you cannot lie about what I know, your lies can may be mislead my beliefs, but that is about it).

And Errol Morris indicates at an amazing truth: people lie and get away with it only because we are not sure of our beliefs, and cannot trust our own common sense. Sometimes it happens that we want to hear what they are saying to us, so it is lack of faith and greed that does us in.

I don't know whether you will agree with all this, but may be you should go and read the two articles, then you won't be worried about truth and deception.

We are part truth and part deception, like Ardhanareeswara.

We should revel in this, if possible, or at least, not make too much of a song and dance about it.