What is a lie ?. Lies are not just black or white , actually they are black and white sometimes. White lies have been the real true invention in language - to communicate by not saying sometime. That's the sort of lie a lawyer says when he says "There are no reliable witnesses". And some tell the truth, but "Reality is often inaccurate".
Why do we lie: If you have seen Liar, Liar you might have realized the normal places where people lie. Society as an instituion relies on the ability of people to curb their natural instincts and say things which go against their better (or worse) nature. It is an institution built on the basis that nobody can see into your mind and the skeletons it might hold. In short, if you can't lie, decieve or pretend, you cannot survive in society. It started with the first sychopant caveman who said "Nobody makes such a warm fire like you, Ogg. And your club is huge" and it's been downhill all the way from there.Whom do we lie to the most ?. I truthfully (ha ha !) think that we lie to ourselves the most. Self delusions of importance and ability which feeds the ego are necessary for survival. Truly depressed are those who are free from these precious illusions . Of course this attitude towards truth is mutual. When you buy a car, you don't want to hear that this model blows up once in a while - you want to hear about it's invisible anti-rust coating and push-to-start features. Truth can be brutal and offending - you don't want to be called a loser, you'd want to be called undeveloped potential. When you ask your girfriend "Do you love me ?" , you want to hear an emphatic Yes, not an "of course" or "not really". Most of us live our lives happy and content walled off by the facade of lies erected by society for our protection.
The really interesting thing about lies is that society takes a really interesting stand on it. It is as if it's ok to lie but not to get caught, which makes a lot of sense from an darwinian point of view. The differentiating factor seems to be the aspect of getting caught. But a society with a majority of absolute liars would collapse, so it maintains an equilibrium of truth and lies - or more correctly induviduals do. The threat of getting caught is the fine line that all of us walk when we lie.
In this politically correct world, the truthfully challenged seem to prosper. And an image seems to fade out in my mind - telling , no asking me - "The truth is out there". But I dare not . Do you ?.