"I Cannot Tell a Lie"
“I Cannot Tell a Lie”
One of the first things I learned when I started school was that George Washington never told a lie. Young George—when confronted by his dad after chopping down a cherry tree, which he wasn’t supposed to chop down—admitted that "Yes, I chopped down that cherry tree.” Apparently, George said, “I cannot tell a lie.” This, of course, was a lie. Not George’s alleged confession, but, the whole story. That was the lie. But, it was a lie born of good intentions. It sought to teach young children that lying was bad, even if our teachers were teaching us this lesson, by lying. I guess we should remember that lying in the service of the truth, can be good, depending on the circumstances.
This is problematic, however, since once you open the door by telling “The Good Lie,” you’ve pretty-much opened Pandora’s Box of wholesale lying, like a Black Friday super sale of lying, as people crush one another in pursuit of the latest fad toy for their kids like, “Boris the Woodchuck,” (only $19.99 plus tax.)
This is where politics comes in. Because politics is about lying for a living. You’ve heard about “Working For a Living?” Well, politics is the art of working at lying for a living. This is necessary, however, because the world is filled with people whose deepest wish is to be lied to. Even if they’re lying to themselves in the process. I think it can be explained like this: let’s say you’re Superman and Lex Luthor has you over a barrel. Why? It doesn’t matter. This is just an analogy, (not a lie.) So, Lex says to Superman, “I will destroy the universe, with my universe destroying ray if you don’t tell a lie, Superman! Ha!” This puts Superman in a super bind because Superman cannot tell a lie, because he’s Superman. This is especially important because the whole universe happens to be watching Superman’s dilemma via some seriously good cable TV. (A few planets try and get it using rabbit ears and tinfoil, but the signal is not good.)
Meanwhile, those watching, have to decide whose side they're on, Superman’s or Lex Luthor’s.
Eventually, all of the good citizens of the universe recognize that Superman is actually struggling with this dilemma, of telling a lie. Even if every, last, one of us is going to die a horrific death, as the result of Superman’s super morality. Once that becomes clear, Superman is no longer a heroic figure, but the man who holds the universes continued existence in his super hands.
“To lie or not to lie?” That is the question.
Of course, there is no perfectly moral solution for Superman. This should compel us to remember that “Perfection” is just a word, not a real thing. The word represents an impossible standard that all of us, no matter who, whether George Washington or Superman, fall short of. So, we’re forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. Or, as a good economist might put it, “There are no perfect solutions. There are only trade-offs.
In other words, Superman, tell that lie, so that we all might live.
Sound familiar? Just change the “L” in the word lie to a “D”—and the human dilemma—maybe better stated as the human drama, becomes clear. Or, at least, clearer.
So, all I can say is, “Sorry Superman. Let that lie rip! That we might all live, even if, in the end, there is a price that we all must pay.” That is the nature of politics. It is no less the nature of being human.
In this world, it appears to be the best we can hope for.
Mark Magula
One of the first things I learned when I started school was that George Washington never told a lie. Young George—when confronted by his dad after chopping down a cherry tree, which he wasn’t supposed to chop down—admitted that "Yes, I chopped down that cherry tree.” Apparently, George said, “I cannot tell a lie.” This, of course, was a lie. Not George’s alleged confession, but, the whole story. That was the lie. But, it was a lie born of good intentions. It sought to teach young children that lying was bad, even if our teachers were teaching us this lesson, by lying. I guess we should remember that lying in the service of the truth, can be good, depending on the circumstances.
This is problematic, however, since once you open the door by telling “The Good Lie,” you’ve pretty-much opened Pandora’s Box of wholesale lying, like a Black Friday super sale of lying, as people crush one another in pursuit of the latest fad toy for their kids like, “Boris the Woodchuck,” (only $19.99 plus tax.)
This is where politics comes in. Because politics is about lying for a living. You’ve heard about “Working For a Living?” Well, politics is the art of working at lying for a living. This is necessary, however, because the world is filled with people whose deepest wish is to be lied to. Even if they’re lying to themselves in the process. I think it can be explained like this: let’s say you’re Superman and Lex Luthor has you over a barrel. Why? It doesn’t matter. This is just an analogy, (not a lie.) So, Lex says to Superman, “I will destroy the universe, with my universe destroying ray if you don’t tell a lie, Superman! Ha!” This puts Superman in a super bind because Superman cannot tell a lie, because he’s Superman. This is especially important because the whole universe happens to be watching Superman’s dilemma via some seriously good cable TV. (A few planets try and get it using rabbit ears and tinfoil, but the signal is not good.)
Meanwhile, those watching, have to decide whose side they're on, Superman’s or Lex Luthor’s.
Eventually, all of the good citizens of the universe recognize that Superman is actually struggling with this dilemma, of telling a lie. Even if every, last, one of us is going to die a horrific death, as the result of Superman’s super morality. Once that becomes clear, Superman is no longer a heroic figure, but the man who holds the universes continued existence in his super hands.
“To lie or not to lie?” That is the question.
Of course, there is no perfectly moral solution for Superman. This should compel us to remember that “Perfection” is just a word, not a real thing. The word represents an impossible standard that all of us, no matter who, whether George Washington or Superman, fall short of. So, we’re forced to choose between the lesser of two evils. Or, as a good economist might put it, “There are no perfect solutions. There are only trade-offs.
In other words, Superman, tell that lie, so that we all might live.
Sound familiar? Just change the “L” in the word lie to a “D”—and the human dilemma—maybe better stated as the human drama, becomes clear. Or, at least, clearer.
So, all I can say is, “Sorry Superman. Let that lie rip! That we might all live, even if, in the end, there is a price that we all must pay.” That is the nature of politics. It is no less the nature of being human.
In this world, it appears to be the best we can hope for.
Mark Magula