Recently I saw a movie called, “The Invention of Lying.” It’s not a movie I’d particularly recommend, as it was slow and poorly written, occasionally resorting to sexual humor to get a laugh. But the idea of not being able to lie—EVER, is an interesting concept to explore. How would it change our world?
The movie takes place in a fictionally based world where “lying” has not yet been invented. People openly express all their thoughts and ideas, living life on facts—things seen. Faith—belief of things not seen, is not a hypothesis yet perceived. For example when main character Anna, played by actress Jennifer Garner, is asked on a date, she says something like, “I’m not particularly attracted to you, but I’ll go because I know one day I’ll lose my looks and I’m terrified of living my life alone!”
Mark, played by comedian Ricky Gervais, is a quirky, sexually unattractive, screenwriter, about to be fired due to his boring script writing—much like this movie he wrote. He is of course in love with Anna, who judges him by his outward appearance and considers him a real loser. However, everything changes when Mark tells the first fib—an invention that he soon discovers can open doors for him that were formerly closed. He finds power and influence that he’s never experienced!
One of the interesting moments of the movie occurs when Mark’s mother is dying. Because their world is based on absolute fact and truth, the medical personnel caring for his mother, along with his mother, have no belief in an afterlife. The doctors are brutally frank when explaining the situation and make no attempt to soften the blow. Mark is distraught watching his mother suffer, who is fearful of her impending death—terrified of the unknown. So Mark calms his mother by telling her she has nothing to fear. He tells her that she is going to a beautiful place where she will be greeted by all her loved ones who previously died—a place where she will be young again, able to run and move freely. His mother relaxes and peacefully passes away. Meanwhile the doctors and nurses are completely astounded with this “new truth” and beg to know more. Soon Mark is mobbed by television reporters and crowds of people desiring the whole truth.
However, with this new theory of God—a man in the sky that can make good things happen, comes the realization that God might also be responsible for the misfortunes that also occur in their lives! No one is prepared to except the complete truth, and they quickly reject God as truth.
The movie does make you ponder the good of living in a world of complete truth. Do we really want to know the answer to, “Does this dress make me look fat?” Or are we happier living with a little less reality—a world where we decide what truths should be shared?
Perhaps when all is said and done in this world we presently live in, where integrity is constantly at risk of becoming extinct, we must first be honest with ourselves—accepting responsibility for our own choices. We may ask for advice or be given counsel from others, but ultimately we have the free agency to choose for ourselves. It has been said that, “The truth will set you free—because living a lie is no life at all.” I have great respect for all those who choose to speak the truth—the whole truth and nothing but the truth. We are inspired by their truth. They make us want to be more—become better than we are. They are life’s true heros!
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“Memories inhabit our stories, make them breathe, give them life. So we learn to live with the reality that what we remember is an imperfect version of what we know to be true . . . Her counterfeit identity gave her a new life, but it also took its toll, requiring her to nurture the deceit, to learn the art of lying—not merely how to tell a lie, but how to live a lie, because lying was the route to survival, lying was safety. But always, always, she lived with the fear of being discovered.” ~ Quoted by author, Steve Luxenberg, in his novel “Annie’s Ghosts,” a true story
“Mom never shed her secret, and it also defined her. She did what she had to do. I suspect that Mom never intended for her secret to last a lifetime. Most of the time, we make a decision based on the circumstances at the time . . . [But] just as a cure can be worse than the disease, revelation can be more devastating than reticence. That’s the fear that seems to drive many of us to embrace silence or deception. But too often, we’re just telling one more lie, this one to ourselves.” ~ Quoted by author, Steve Luxenberg, in his novel “Annie’s Ghosts,” a true story
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