Is truth overrated and lies underestimated?
In most major religions, lying is considered a sin ("You shall not bear false witness") and other scriptures, as it opposes God's nature as truth and leads to darkness. Yet we probably lie several times every day. People lie for many reasons, primarily to avoid punishment, guilt, or discomfort, but also to gain advantage, protect themselves or others, maintain an image, be polite (white lies), or even because it amuses them. Lying can act as a social lubricant to avoid conflict and maintain relationships, but in some cases it becomes an automatic reaction to regulate stress or deal with low self-esteem.
The average person lies between one and three times a day, often in the form of white lies to be polite or to make themselves look better, but the frequency varies greatly: some never lie, while a small minority lie very often. Research suggests that most people are better at lying than they are at detecting liars.
The lie is a central and recurring theme in art, often explored by paradoxically using lies to reveal deeper truths about human nature, reality and society, as seen in Pablo Picasso's famous quote: "Art is a lie that tells the truth".
Abstraction & Representation: A painting of a person isn't the real person (a lie), but through the artist's vision, it might reveal that person's loneliness, pride, or spirit (the truth).
Emotional Insight: The "lie" of an artwork (e.g., a sculpture of flesh from stone) allows us to connect with profound feelings or ideas about beauty, loss, or the human condition.
Perception & Vision: Artists are skilled "liars" who manipulate reality to make us see things differently, helping our brains process profound realities more effectively than mere facts can.
Example: A novel creates a "Secondary World" (a lie) where the story's events are true within that world, allowing the reader to experience universal truths about love, conflict, or heroism.
Don't be ashamed of telling a little lie sometimes :)