Did you ever just sit there, before a friend boss or mate staring right through them, your eyes glazing over as you witness the insult of lies being hurled at you? Do you see through them more easily now than you did ten years ago? If you do then do they offend your creaturehood? Do you feel violated by this? I certainly do. The worst part is how destructive it all is, and how dangerous it can be. The truth may be painful but the most painful truth is that many of us if not the majority of Americans have learned to be lied to almost constantly and the insult to the injury is that most of us believe them. Even if we don't we make excuses for them and then numb the pain of betrayal with excuses. But wait a minute is lying human nature? And if so is there such thing as productive and ethical lying? If so what are the rules? I explore this in the following text where I use links to supportive videos and documents. This fascinating subject can be disturbing and lead to headaches and nausea. You have been warned.
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We begin with Brad Blanton's book Radical Honesty (link to full PDF book in DropBox). It is a sanitizing if not caustic reality check and antidote to the sea of lies we create, accept and expect from the world that surrounds us. It is a departure and radical approach to living. Blanton suggests we look not only at the lies told to us but at the lies we tell ourselves. This reveals not only the lies coming at us from others but forces us to look at our own attempts at deception, much of which we may believe never existed - but controls us and our behavior much as it does everyone else without exception. Furthermore, as you will learn in the following video links lying statistics, if you will, are about the same in every culture and country around the world. It is a human DNA thing that we must cope with in this corporeal form as we move toward what ever kind of ascension we believe in.
This video RSA talk given by Dan Ariely begins the discussion and is expanded on by Ian Leslie in his book Born Liars. Leslie discusses his work in this video. I have been writing about the "human trifecta" of Deception, Power and Seduction for a long time. Now I discover two PhD's complete my thoughts and extend my knowledge and to new levels, satisfying my suspicion and curiosity with true and complete understanding of this long ignored aspect of humanity. This brings us to a new level. We now can view our world with more clarity. I hope you find this inquiry as mind expanding as I do as we explore this largely ignored but vitally important taboo of human nature.
The two books: The 48 Laws of Power and the Art of Seduction by Robert Greene sparked an interest in this subject about a year ago and lead me to these interesting talks which support many of Greene's historic accounts especially in his book the 48 Laws of Power and also in his book The Art of Seduction. If your will to understand your self and others overrides the repellent nature of this subject the rewards are great but as all real knowledge has a tendency to do it reveals a dark side of human nature, a matrix of illusion, deception and utter bull-shit in this otherwise lovely world of ours. It clearly and without rose colored glasses places you right at the center stage of judgment and analysis as the jury of your mind is brought into focus for the very first time. Especially in Blanton's book Radical Honesty. I guess it is time to ask you if you want to take the blue pill or the red pill?
So what are the rules? When, where and why do you lie? Are you aware of it when you deviate from the facts or the truth when you slip into deceptive behaviors? When, if ever, is it truly appropriate to lie?
Is lying and deception good manners? Do they soften reality by taking on characteristics of political correctness or is it always an insult to each other and to our intelligence? Is there no way of gauging when and where we should deceive people? Is it a felt-sense that intuitively or unconsciously we manipulate others to what ever end our conscience decides. Is this mode of being something for which a curriculum could be designed to teach children to see into their young souls with understanding from an early age? To date I know of no such curriculum. Strange that this, like the arts and music have been left in the dumpster of public school education while these arts are well explored at the schools where the elite train the next generation of leaders. The work of John Taylor Gatto (Complete YouTube playlist of his work) brings to light this fact in his damning expose' of public education.
When we look for answers, the more we know about human nature the better. As we get to know it, and ourselves better we can choose when and where it is appropriate to to exercise deception - consciously. But, I warn you, if you are strong enough to finish Blanton's mind-bending book Radical Honesty without forming a new perspective you are truly a saint and need to report immediately to the Vatican for Canonization. The man, like Gatto, is onto something big. Something we can learn about that is truly life changing in a good way. It may not leave you in a sweet slumber of ignorance or give you a big stick with which to walk softly, but it will sharpen your wit, focus your perception and keep you on top of your game... and the "games" perpetrated on you. In today's world it is important to stay sharp and to boldly walk into your days, to make your mark and to make far fewer mistakes than you did in easier economic times. Good luck with this and God help you in chapter three of Blanton's book.
Note: The links found in the article above are created by me for your convenience to explore and study the topic fully.
Enjoy, Bill
The PDF of Radical Honesty was obtained with the permission of the author.
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