7/3/12

lies

False high-level impression: Lies are good. High-level impressions are good. They convey information quickly, and they are memorable.

True low-level details: Distorting the truth can be a useful tool for painting a high-level picture of an idea. One risk is that people will believe falsehoods. On the other hand, it may be better for someone to believe one lie and nine truths than to gain nothing at all.

I often fall into the trap of telling the truth. In a previous post, I talk about a conversation I had with my mom about religion. The post is a bit long and dry. I feel like that post should read something like this:
I often argue with my mother about religion. Usually I tell her that it doesn't make sense, and she tells me that it gives her hope. My comeback is: I would rather live with the truth than hope for a lie. However, this time I realized that her faith wouldn't even give me hope. I fear her faith. I hope is isn't true, because it judges people for eternity based on an astronomically short period of time over which people have no real control. Maybe I don't care about the truth. Maybe I too just hope for a lie.
This impression of the situation is a lie, but I think it does a better job conveying the core thought that was running through my head. It is a better meme. This story has a better chance of surviving and reproducing, because other people can understand and relate to it more easily.

I want to lie more. Though, I want some way for people to know I'm lying. Like an impressionistic or abstract painting, that people never confuse for reality.

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