Wednesday, December 5, 2012

LIAR LIAR HEART ON FIRE



I hate liars…
Unfortunately…
I might be one soon.
I’ll explain, but first let me start with this….
When you know something…
About someone’s spouse…
And you do not tell…
For fear that what you know would devastate them…
Is that lying?
I don’t think so…
Unless that is…
You’ve made a prior agreement with them…
That if you find out a dirty secret…
They would want you to tell them.
OK, for now I’m in the clear.
But what happens…
When they find out about that dirty secret…
And ask you if I knew?
Then what?
Do you tell the truth, the whole truth…
And nothing but the truth…
Knowing it’s going to devastate them?
Or do you lie?
And let’s say, for arguments sake, you lie…
To save their heart…
And then later they find out you’ve lied…
Won’t that be another betrayal?
But then, if you tell them you knew…
But chose not to tell them…
Won’t they feel like a fool?
Lord!
Why does life have to be so difficult?
What about you?
What would you do in this situation?
Say nothing?
Tell the truth?
Or lie?
And have you ever been in this situation?
How did it turn out? 
Oh...
Which one were you?
The betrayed?
Or the liar?

Always, Em-Musing

10 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

That's a tough spot to be in! If I'd promised to tell the truth up front, painful or not, I guess I would.

Barbara S. Andrews said...

Keeping a secret from someone close to you is BETRAYAL! I just learned this myself…when my pen name got leaked out. I was livid at first, but once I calmed down, I realized it felt so LIBERATING to have it all out in the open.

True, the one person I KNEW would freak out, DID. Oh well. It wasn't as dreadful as I thought it would be. And the rest of the family has turned out to be unbelievably supportive. Which makes the whole thing worthwhile.

If I were in your position and knew that a good friend was being betrayed by someone she loved, I'd feel obligated to tell her. It might be dreadfully painful, but eventually she's going to have to stand in the truth. She might get mad at me for telling her, but if that's the case, I guess we never had a truly intimate friendship in the first place.

So…I'd tell her and be ready to support her in her time of need.

Anne Gallagher said...

Been there done that. I would definitely tell her what you know. Because as you said, if you don't, she'll hate you for not telling her. If you do, she might hate you, but she won't be able to fault you for not, and she won't be able to call you a liar.

And yes, keeping the truth from someone (especially a devastating secret) is truth by omission and a lie in my book.

I would totally rather know the dirt, than have it kept from me no matter how much it hurts.

Rena Lesué said...

I'm with Alex and the girls.

Where do your loyalties lie? (No pun intended.)

Barbara Watson said...

Sometimes truth is a painful thing, but telling it is what I choose because lies make my stomach churn with something worse than pain.

Carol Kilgore said...

I never have been in that situation, but I hope I would tell her the truth. I would want her to tell me.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

This is a very tough situation - I do not envy your position. Trust your gut...you'll make the right decision.

Jennifer Shirk said...

Well, like you, I probably wouldn't tell even if I knew so I could save her the heartache. BUT...if she asked if I knew, I would confess and tell her the truth and why I didn't tell her.
UGH. Life is hard.

DL Hammons said...

Withholding information is a grey area, but I don't normally consider it lying. Misleading someone to cover that up, is lying. I guess you can call that my code of ethics. :)

Arlee Bird said...

This is a tough situation. I guess a lot would depend on the relationship and the potential outcome that would result from divulging information. I think maybe I have had information hidden from me in the past, but I don't hold it against those who didn't say anything. The truth was eventually revealed anyway.

But, yeah, it's a sticky spot to be in. But don't lie. If asked blurt the truth. I don't know how much information I would volunteer though.

Lee
A Faraway View