A thought provoking question for all you mature Soompiers.

Would have rather be told the truth, or a lie?
It may help to also consider this information: the lie will bring you happiness and the truth, sadness.
"A lie that brings a smile, or the truth that brings a tear?"

Also, if you don't like my analogy, think the original Matrix; red pill or blue pill? (Red=awakening from Matrix)

Please answer honestly, or if you can't/won't, I welcome smartass comments.

It's a judgment call. If it's nothing major and the truth is only going to damage people, then I think it's perfectly acceptable to lie. Now, to make habit of such things, or to do it when it's not necessary is not what I mean. And sometimes even though the truth hurts it's necessary, it's part of the growing process for us all. But if a white lie gone unnoticed is going to save the lives of 1,000 people, then I encourage anyone to do it.

So for the most part, I'd say the truth is very important. I rarely lie (I don't see a point...), but if the rare occasion arises that it tips my scale of balance, then I will do so.

I'd rather be told the truth when it helps me (painful or pleasurable), and if its something small and insignificant, I'd rather not know about it.

But that's just me!

If you cannot distinguish that there IS a lie then you're not living a happy 'lie' because in order to do so, you would have to be aware that a lie exists. You could still be unhappy and never be aware of such a distinction as the one you mentioned and then it wouldnt really matter then, would it, because it becomes about which you are happy, or sad and not about truth or lie- so what you're REALLY asking is whether you'd want to be happy or sad.

White lies don't change the truth. So don't lie unless you're doing it so your parents will stop telling you to fold the laundry. When someone discovers the truth behind the lie it hurts a lot more.

In my opinion, anyone that sticks to any belief (not lying) rigidly without flexibility has a foolish sense of pride. It's important to take each situation into careful thought and decide a result accordingly. I in no way promote lying, but everyone (if you haven't realized already) will soon realize that lying isn't always a bad thing.

Ignorance is bliss.... but you can't live like that forever.
I would prefer the truth, no matter how grueling or depressing it is.
A lie only stalls time, doesn't really help out any situation. Sooner or later, the truth always come out anyway.
Even if the truth can make a person happy, how long would you expect that happiness to last? It isn't true happiness, it's a happiness based on a lie.. so can you live with it?
When I lie, something negative usually happens.. so I don't have much of a choice, but to opt for the truth.
Lying is like blowing bubbles. You can blow as many as you like, but they don't last forever. They always pop a few seconds to a few minutes afterward. Or someone is always popping them as you blow.

A sweet lie provides temporary happiness, since you will uncover the truth later anyway. Even if you won't, you'll be living in a world of lie, which I think makes you act based on illusions and false events.

Also, knowing the truth later will hurt even more than knowing it now, in my opinion.

Take the hit now, and heal with time to become stronger.

Imagine a world where people are completely truthful at all times, no exception. Yes, there will be pain, but it will be more immediate, and overall end up being less. Yes, being completely truthful at all times will give you immediate pain, but then pay off HUGE in long term benefits. It is much like investing money: you suffer the immediate pain of having your money taken away from you, but then it grows with interest. If I make a judgment call, "oh, this is going to cause some pain if I am completely honest - so, to avoid pain, I'm going to lie..." then you simply lack the imagination, or the faith, or the hope to see the true outcome down the road. You are actually borrowing from that future outcome in order to try to move it to the present. The only problem is, when you borrow, you have to pay it back with interest, so that you not only end up having a short lived benefit from lying, but very often the thing you were trying to avoid happens anyway (or comes out anyway), down the road, and ends up being much worse. So, I respectfully disagree with you. It's true - it's possible to have a belief, such as not lying, from a foolish sense of pride - but this is not always the case with everyone. Sometimes, we hold on to a belief simply because we want to make that kind of investment for our future. For some, It's a matter of prudence, not pride. I would also argue that it is possible to have a belief, such that it is OK to lie some of the time, from a foolish sense of pride - the pride here is to think that you have the wisdom to judge ultimate outcomes and so play god in a given situation.
Now, having said that, we can still choose how and when to tell the truth, and these two things are vitally important. For example, say someone broke into my house to try and kill my family, but I had hidden them away. They ask me if I know where they are. Do I lie and say, "No"? No - I would simply refuse to tell them anything. He may kill me for that decision, but I would gladly give my life to protect my family. Besides, he probably would have killed me anyway. Later on, if things should change and I hold the gun, I'll tell him the truth after having put a bullet through his head.

I'm not going to lie, I'm not going to read your post because you started off by accusing me of having no imagination. If you want someone to take you seriously, it's important to respect them, not start with random (inaccurate) accusations! Or at LEAST save them until the end

Point taken. Change made. BTW, I meant no disrespect - only a friendly ribbing (I have stop doing that - it keeps getting me into trouble).

I guess sweet lies are the spice in life ... you know?

Nice topic.

This dilemma kind of alludes to why I don't share my pic online.

I'd rather have you guys smile at my posts wondering if it's all a lie or not rather than revealing any certain truths that could just make you all sad.

This makes me sad. You... you... HERMIT!

I've learned that things aren't so black and white and clean cut. I would seriously have to weigh out the consequences first. If there were no possible way of the truth getting out to hurt the person/people involved, I'd go for the lie. Life is tough enough, when you see a break, take it! Not at the expense of others of course!

I would rather be told the truth. I might throw a tantrum or get pissed but I would get over it.

It's more dependent on how emotionally fragile the person that is receiving the information. The problem is that the main question was bias from the start as the truth is led to make people believe that honesty has to full of sorrow versus a lie that is suppose to bring bliss. Most people cannot handle criticism and unpleasant news, but I believe that honesty is better in the long run.

Why thank you.

Personally I would choose the lie. I don't know why, but that's just my personality. Eventually it would boomerang on me if I found out the truth, but I'd rather deal with it later.

I'd prefer to hear the truth, but at the same time I'd rather tell a lie.

Sometimes it's better to lie and sometimes it's better to tell the truth. It depends on your comfort level.

It's like how some people aren't comfortable with telling someone they have something nasty stuck in their teeth and some people will full out scream it out to the whole word. "EVERYONE THIS GUY HAS SOMETHING GREEN IN HIS TEETH COME LOOK" haha

You totally lost me after the red pill or blue pill. LOL.

Well I see it like this: Good vs Bad.

Dishonesty, to me, is bad. The truth, no matter what a pinkberry it is, it is the right thing to do.

To me, it really depends on the situation and who it involves.

I prefer the truth.
I would get even mad or sad if someone was to lie to me, so I rather know the truth.
The truth could hurt, but honesty brings less the pain than a lie would.

id rather have the horrible truth than a blissful lie.

i would rather be told the truth.... even if it hurts or it's harsh because i would rather walk the earth knowing i know the truth to something than roam around like a retard only being shadowed by pretty lies. thats how i think anyway...

Doesn't your mom do everything for you? Blorl.

LOL. mother, i tried.

The truth can hurt and it can be scary, but its honest, and I like honesty, honestly.

even if it kills me,

the truth please.

The truth hurts, but I rather hear the truth.

either or...both are bullshat. wanting one or the other is too idealistic. just deal with whatever you get.

I'll go for the sad truth, believe it or not, that sweet lie will eventually become a sad truth.....so why not just take the truth now.

i'd rather get hurt from knowing the truth, than being happy in a cage of lies.
time heals everything.

It's like the saying "what goes up must come down"

as for the sweet lie and the sad truth....

would you rather be happy now and sad later, or sad now and happy later?

more like a truth the draws a tear or a lie that draws a smile.

i would choose the truth, that way i can get all the time i need to move on and be happy again...

the truth always! the days of living in dillusional lies should end, if you are fat, know that you are fat so you can improve yourself, if you are a drug addict, know that you are a drug addict so you can get help, see what I mean?

Like those people that think they are good singers, then go to a competition and SUCK BALLS, because their whole life their friends/family lied to them about their singing skill, TRUTH IS always better than a lie, no matter how nice the lie may feel/sound.

For me, I'd rather hear the truth - I don't want to be decieved or be tricked into thinking I'm something I'm not. If the truth hurts, I'll try harder and I'll get stronger eventually. But if people lie to me all the time because they think it's better for me, then I'll believe their lie and look like an idiot. I only lie to get myself out of trouble. Other than that, if someone wanted my opinion on something, I'd give it to them. But of course, the way I phrase my opinion would depend on how fragile I think the person is.

id rather hear the truth coz i know i can handle it.

maybe other people choose to tell a lie coz they thought that person couldnt handle it. you must know first the maturity level of the person coz if anything bad happens it will only brings you guilt.

I hate being in the "ignorance is bliss" because it is so not. so just come clean, no need to lie. I like honesty.

It depends on the situation, honestly. The world isn´t black and white.

all i ask is to be honest with me...dont give me a sweet lie to make me feel better...its wont make the matter at hand any better
just tell me the truth

I say, always tell the truth. If you the truth appears uncomfortable (for example, a nasty comment on a person's dress), then there will be a way to not have to say it. But if you are pressured to do so, say it - because the critique will benefit someone at least. For matters on a larger scale, always say the truth, not the truth as you perceive it, but the truth. It will help make things less chaotic.

i think people should say nothing rather than lie, and I think people who can't handle the truth shouldn't ask.

No one really ever tells the truth... how can you when you don't know the truth yourself?

For me, truth always seems to get around the lies no matter what it is, whether it's someone's feelings about me (especially negative feelings) or something that happened. I'd rather be told the truth because it saves me the trouble of digging through the lies to get to the truth. I especially hate it when people lie about big things, for example, this one friend got really pissed off at me and did things behind my back to piss ME off. I confronted her about it and she lied, saying everything was okay. We ended up ending our friendship, and I had to stop being friends with two other people because she convinced them that I was the cause of the tension that radiated from us to the other people. That kinda stuff is good to know the truth so I can either fix it, or at least know what's going on. Little stuff like, "You're not chubby!" or "No, no, your hair looks great that way! ....." don't really matter as much, especially if I already know the truth (I am chubby) and the person is just saying that to be nice and raise esteem.

as my sig states --

~beautiful words are not always truthful. truthful words are not always beautiful.~

honestly, i don't know. sometimes i rather be lie to then to find out the truth and there are other times i wish the truth would just be told. i guess depends on the situations, the outcomes, the people involved, and how big of a deal it is or could be....

there's a lot to weigh upon this...

if i really have to just answer it point blank -- i rather just not know anything! leave me alone!

^
That's a beautiful response there, PaNgIeE.

I'm just wondering if it's truthful.

for me... better to hear painful truth than sweet lies..
of course i will be so hard for the first time, but the wound will be heal soon..
i never tolerate any kind of lies, even though it is for my own good..
because in my opinion there is not any lies that brings goodness for anybody.
I hate a liar~

I live on facts. I cannot live a lie, no matter how good it is. I absolutely
cannot. So I pick the truth.

STILL INTRUDERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!

Azzy, you owe me a taco.

depends on the truth and who's hearing it. nobody likes to be deceived, but information is also responsibility.

only lie that is bearable is when a little child is very sick and parents don't tell it it's going to die, but it's going to the happy place where they will meet.
what about white lies? why hear that i look great if my dress sucks? my friend always tells me not to buy dress if it's crap.
maybe the punchline is to get honest people near you.