Please all, and you will please none.

“A liar will not be believed, even when he speaks the truth.”
Aesop, 620 BC -560
Greek author and extraordinaire.

Lying comes in many forms. A definitive lie is easy to decipher; a truth is altered or eradicated altogether, and poof! when the fact surfaces, a lie is then made apparent.

What about when a person is inauthentic, however? Is that not an outright lie, not only to oneself, but also, to all others who cross the counterfeit path? I often find these words at the forefront of harder to detect lies:

"No problem." (said with a smile)
"It's okay." (")
"I understand." (")
"No worries." (")
"I'm sorry to hear it." (")
"That's too bad." (")
"Really, I totally understand, no worries - that's too bad and I'm so sorry to hear it, it's really okay and not a problem what-so-ever." (When in reality, they're pissed as all hell.)

*Note: I told you these lies are harder to pick up; some people who cite these word choices are credible and trustworthy individuals. We know those who aren't though. Coincidentally, they know who they are too.*

I'm finding as I get older, my tolerance level is dropping significantly. In fact, I have less and less respect for people who find the need to please, at the expense of telling the truth. Whether they're sparing another person's feelings, or feel the need to present a disingenuous niceness, either way, it's aggravating and grossly fraudulent. These same people make excuses to themselves that this is the proper and noble way to be, but it's in fact improper, and is terribly misleading. As this aforementioned tolerance level drops, I'm finding it more and more difficult to not say something in response to these liars. Such as, "You're a liar."

Truth be told, I would much rather have somebody give it to me straight, than lie straight to my face. Spare the dressed up lie with people - the naked truth is much more admirable. Besides, pleasing everyone is not a pleasant undertaking. In the end, you'll feel a whole lot better about yourself.