Student column: The truth is not always whole

Talk about it

Many people tell the truth. It doesn’t matter how old you are, you are always getting told to tell nothing but the truth. But there always seems to be those little lies that most people seem to say. Usually these lies can also be known as white lies. I am not saying that everyone lies, but little white lies are pretty common. Also, I am not suggesting that you lie.

Probably the most common white lie is “I have read and agree to the terms of service.” Who actually takes the time to read every single sentence of the five-point font on the multiple pages of paper? Very few people do. Another one is, “It wasn’t me.” Maybe it’s just because I have a sibling, but this one comes up a lot. Even if you did do something, usually the first thing you say when questioned about it is, “It wasn’t me.”

At restaurants, they tell you, “Your table will be ready in five minutes.” It may just be that when I’m hungry and want to eat I get impatient, but it always seems to be longer than five minutes.

When you really don’t get something that someone is saying but you say, “Oh yeah, that makes sense,” you are also committing a pretty common white lie. Because who wants to admit they are clueless to the situation at hand?

Another common one is “I’d love to, but my mom won’t let me.” This one is geared more toward the kids out there, but it does pop up a lot. Often when someone says this, they are sitting alone on the couch eating and having a movie marathon. I mean, they can’t stop watching the movie right as Katniss finds Peeta on the riverbank, can they?

A line that I personally use a lot is, “I’m fine.” When you think about it, we get asked a lot how we are doing, and we usually don’t tell the person the whole truth about how we are feeling.

One white lie that I overhear a lot is, “I know exactly how you’re feeling.” Honestly, in how many situations do we know the exact emotions that a person is feeling? Not many.

So why do we tell white lies? I think it’s because you don’t want to hurt or damage someone’s feelings, because you want to avoid getting in trouble, or because some things take too long to accomplish. Agreeing to the terms of service is a perfect example of this one.

While they aren’t exactly the crime of the century, they are used pretty often. I think now most people have caught on to these white lies and know when they are being committed. I know I have. I have even learned to tell when people aren’t telling me the truth or they don’t understand something I’m saying but they say they do. No matter your age, I’m sure you notice these white lies as much as I do.

Becca Opp is a student at Farmington High School. Her column appears every other week. If you are a student who would like to write a column for the Independent call Nathan Hansen at 651-460-6606 or email editor@farmingtonindependent.com.

Tags: high school, opinion, commentaries, farmington