Lying is wrong...Except when it's right

By analyzing the different strategies inherent in communication we can better understand our reading, writing and conversations. Lying is a huge part of how people communicate.
"A man who won't lie to a woman has very little consideration for her feelings." Bergen Evans

Lying is a communication strategy we use in most of our relationships. From being gentle to the feelings of a loved one to focusing attention on certain points in an essay for a college class, we as humans in this day and age are constantly lying. By paying attention to the elements of lying, we can communicate much more effectively. We can see when others are lying in our personal conversations, and recognize communication strategies for what they are. I find my parenting to be a bottomless fount of lying. The lie that comes to mind was last week when my step daughter told me to not worry about saving money for Christmas. She told me not to worry about saving money to by her toys for Christmas, Santa would bring her plenty of toys. The fact that I let that slide is a great example of a white lie.
 Perhaps the greatest stage for analyzing techniques of lying is to watch the current race for the American Presidential election. Politics is all about using deflection to focus on topics a politician can argue, while shying away from less arguable areas. The Republican party loves to debate seemingly non-issues like marriage equality as a way to distract from more serious but touchier subjects like out of control defense spending.

A college education that taught communication skills but completely omitting lying and deception would be very incomplete. Lying may be popularly frowned upon, however, how good would a lawyer or politician be without thinking and analyzing the elements inherent in lying. If we are to present a persuasive argument we need to focus attention on subjects of our choosing. The construction of solid arguments inherently involves using techniques of omission and deflection. These techniques provide focus to conversation and allow the author to decide the path the argument takes. By being aware of these elements we can read and write much more effectively and critically.

Lying makes life much more interesting. By understanding the elements inherent in lying we can enjoy reading publications like the Weekly World News, without being worried about being attacked by Batboy or Jamaican Zombies. Or what about Upton Sinclair's series The Just So stories, in which comical events lead to animals being the way they are. Literature is full of stories that use different versions of the truth to create a fun story.
For better or worse being an adult in American society requires communicating for different purposes and audiences. To accomplish different goals of communication we must employ different strategies. It is important to recognize that many of the preeminent strategies used in persuasion  fall under the category of lying to get your way. You may be a husband trying to spare your spouses feelings, or a parent trying to allow kids to be kids, or a politician trying to be the leader of a country. The ability to effectively do any of these things involves using effective communication strategies, many of which are categorically lies. That is the world we live in, and I see lying as a way technique of both being persuasive and making life more interesting