Vocabulary:
to plead ignorance – ссылаться на незнание
to spare somebody’s feelings – щадить чьи-либо чувства
to tell fibs – рассказывать небылицы
to bend the truth – искажать правду
to soften the blow – смягчить удар
to mislead – вводить в заблуждение
to distort the truth – искажать истину
to twist facts – искажать факты
to be economical with the truth – недоговаривать
to swindle somebody out of something – обманом выманить
to lie through one’s teeth – нагло врать
half-truth – полуправда
to tell somebody a home truth – говорить неприятную правду
a (little) white lie – безобидная ложь (ложь во спасение)
to speak one’s mind – откровенно высказаться
outspoken – прямолинейный
Questions:
- Is it important to be honest?
- Do you agree that half-truth is a whole lie?
- Should we aim for full honesty in relationship or is it undesirable?
- When is a white lie acceptable?
- When you ask your friends for opinion, are you ready to be told a home truth? Would you prefer a white lie sometimes?
- Are you usually outspoken in your criticism?
- Should children be allowed to tell fibs?
- Do you think people of some professions have to distort the truth? Why?
- Have you happened to hurt someone’s feelings by speaking your mind? Do you feel guilty about it?
Quotes:
If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.
Mark Twain
Anyone who doesn’t take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either.
Albert Einstein
There are only two people who can tell you the truth about yourself — an enemy who has lost his temper and a friend who loves you dearly.
Antisthenes
The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and must therefore be treated with great caution.
J. K. Rowling
The most common lie is that which one lies to himself; lying to others is relatively an exception.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Статья: Should we Always Tell the Truth?
A truth that’s told with bad intent Beats all the lies you can invent.
William Blake
Under what circumstances is it justified to lie? Is the truth the ultimate moral imperative or should we be willing to tell lies? There are some situations, where a higher purpose can be served by not telling the truth. However, these cases are rare. In practice, it is often too easy to justify a lie, when we are only really trying to serve our own interests. These are some of the issues about lying and telling the truth.
to justify – оправдывать, находить оправдание
to be willing – желать
to serve (interests) – удовлетворять, обслуживать
Truth and Common Sense Wisdom
If our mother prepares a pie that is disappointing, we should not feel a moral compulsion to tell her exactly what we feel. In these cases we can use our wisdom and avoid telling an unnecessary truth. We don’t have to lie, but, nor do we have to make her aware of shortcomings and thus hurt her feelings. If somebody gets joy from cooking, why do we have to spoil that by zealously stating the truth? This does not mean we have to give false praise and flattery. But, it is good to take a diplomatic approach; being a bad cook is hardly a crime. Hurting someone’s feeling is unnecessary. Similarly if someone’s dress sense is ‘unique’ don’t feel obliged to state exactly what is in on your mind.
compulsion – принуждение, непреодолимое желание
to do smth. under / upon compulsion – сделать что-либо по принуждению
shortcomings – недостатки
zealous – рьяный, ревностный, усердный
to feel obliged to… – чувствовать себя вынужденным/обязанным что-то сделать
Tell all the Truth but tell it slant –
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth’s superb surprise
Emily Dickinson
Всю правду скажи — но скажи ее — вкось.
На подступах сделай круг.
Слишком жгуч внезапной Истины луч.
Восход в ней слишком крут.
Перевод В. Марковой
BTW: It is difficult to make rules, we have to use our inner wisdom for this kind of thing. My mother is a very good cook, but, I enjoy giving her both criticism and praise; in a way she appreciates the honesty (I hope). It depends on the person; some are more sensitive than others.
Humility
There are times when we get into trouble and instinctively we seek to lie to avoid damage to our personal standing. However, if we are honest we save ourselves getting into complicated situations where we need to keep lying to maintain a false pretence. Usually it is better to tell the truth, admit mistakes and move on. It makes life simpler, there is also great humility in admitting mistakes; it is this quality that people will appreciate and value.
standing – положение, репутация
to maintain – поддерживать (на том же уровне/в том же состоянии)
pretence – обман, притворство
to make a pretence — притворяться
What are Your Motivations for Lying?
If you feel compelled to lie, what are your motivations for doing so? If you lie to protect your self interests, if you lie to avoid unpleasant reactions from others – you should be very suspicious. If you lie to avoid unnecessary suffering to others; if your motivation is genuinely selfless then this may, in some circumstances, be justified. However, we have to be careful, sometimes we feel we are acting charitably towards others when really we are more concerned with our own standing. Unfortunately, the mind is very good at justifying bad actions such as lying; and the more we lie the easier it becomes.
self interest – личная выгода
selfless – бескорыстный, самоотверженный
charitable – милосердный, сострадательный
Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth.
If you are hiding refugees from the police in a military dictatorship, you would not tell the truth about their whereabouts. You may even tell an outright lie to protect innocent people. Instinctively this shows that the exact truth is not the only thing to consider. Life is not about a simple set of rules, we have to be adaptable; human morality has its limitations – every rule admits of exception. It is not always advisable to speak the truth of this world. However, others suggest there is a truth that is beyond the limitations of this world. This ultimate Truth is about the essence of existence. The ultimate truth is the essence of our true self, our higher consciousness; it is this Truth that can never be compromised. This ultimate truth cannot be expressed in words, the important thing is being true to the highest ideals and the illumined consciousness of the divine.
As the Upanishads say:
Satyam eva jayate.
Truth alone triumphs.
refugees – беженцы
whereabouts – местонахождение
outright – прямой, полный, явный (outright winner/viciousness/ban/victory)
adaptable – адаптирующийся
true self – сущность
consciousness – самосознание
to illumine – освещать
to fib – выдумывать, привирать
candor – откровенность, искренность
an exaggeration – преувеличение
b.f.f. = best friend forever
significant other – супруг, вторая половина