Temptation to deal with social situations by lying

Writing about the temptation to deal with social situations by lying, and on learning to refuse to fall into it.

One of the most painful kinds of situations for me is when a parent pressures me to support a lie to per child — for instance, the lie that Santa Claus exists. When I have yielded to such pressure I have felt ashamed for a long time after.

And don't assume that "social lies" avoid hurting feelings. If your friend is aware of the tendency for people to make false excuses such as "I'm busy" rather than state a truth that might hurt, perse will tend to wonder whether the excuse is a disguise for a saddening truth that perse suspects. Even when the truth isn't that, perse will worry that it is.

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