Did you know, that on average, a person lies about 14.5 times a day? That would be my third today.

Regardless, we all know that lying is something we do at least once a day. Big lies, small lies, white lies, hurtful lies, I'm saying all kinds of lying (and yes, even those you say to protect others). Its probably one of the most common wrong acts to carry out. Daily.

If all truth was good, which in this case, would make lying bad, things would be much simpler. Don't lie. 

Parents always seem to teach their children, "always tell the truth". Yet, as we get older, we start to realize that telling the truth often has to be nuanced..

The truth isn't always beneficial, and it hurts half the time. That's where white lies come into play. An accurate definition or white lies would be a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone's feelings. I think we can all agree that in some situations, lying could be the more appropriate ethical response to a conflict, than telling the truth.

Although white lies are mostly told to avoid conflict or to protect someone, it is, still lying itself. Even if telling a white lie might be beneficial to the person you are telling it to, most of the times, they would have to face the truth sooner or later, which is arguably more hurtful than telling them the truth in the first place. 

This has been debated lots, and people all over the world of all ages have different opinions on this. Personally, I try to avoid lying, that would cause trouble on a later date. Telling someone the hurtful truth, is certainly much better than keeping it from them. You can't keep a secret forever, nor can you lie for a lifetime. One thing that some of us realize is that no matter what kind of lies are told, it breaks the trust between the liar and the receiver of the lie.

On the ethical side of things. There are many different ways an ethicist can look at lying. For example, utilitarians would look at the consequences of a lie, to tell whether the lie is a good one or a bad one. in contrast, a deontologist although, would not agree with looking at the consequences. But they generally accept 'do not tell lies', simply. Same with virtue ethicists.

So, what's your take on lies? Any exceptions to your rule?

If you're undecided, take a look at this article by the BBC, that lays it all out for you.