Lies are all around us; they make up our society. There isn’t a person who hasn’t told a single lie in his life, and that’s normal. The worst lie is probably when we try to believe ourselves because there is no benefit, no gain. Yet even realizing this, we tell ourselves popular lying phrases or allow ourselves to believe someone else’s lies so that life doesn’t seem challenging or depressing.
“Karma will get him”
We want to believe that bad people always get what they deserve. Did someone cut you off on the road? That’s okay; there’s sure to be cops around the corner who’ll fine the rushing person. Did someone humiliate you at work? Justice will be served, and he’ll wet his pants in public.
This illusion of punishing bad people avoids taking decisive action to counteract. In addition, it helps to reassure oneself that higher forces will undertake all the dirty work, and one will receive the full price for one’s actions.
In reality, karma does not always catch up with bad people. Yes, there is no justice in this world, and all that remains is to accept this fact and ignore every unpleasant situation.
“I’m the only sane one in this crowd”
It’s nice to know that you’re the smartest one around you. “Not like this gray mass who has only thoughts of money, sex, and other base needs. What in the world can go on in their skulls but fuzzy signals at the level of reflexes? They’re all washed up with propaganda.”
Just about everyone thinks that. Everyone around here deludes themselves by turning other members of society into non-game characters from computer games, those who act according to a script. It helps to boost self-esteem and act more decisively. Agree; it’s much more motivating to do something if you think you’re the main character in the game and the rest of us are just computer code.
“All in good time”
This phrase is universal and usually coincides with something negative. Did you fail your exams and not get into university? Well, then it’s not your time yet. Can’t find a girlfriend for a long time? Just have not found one that will suit you on all counts. But that’s just self-deception.
What does “that time” even mean? Who sets this milestone, after which life begins to shine bright colors? That time is right now when you desperately need it. Later, it might feel good, but not as good as during the hours of special need. So we assure ourselves that everything has its time, and others assert that it’s just not that bright spot for you yet.
If you’re not doing well, you don’t have to reassure yourself that it’s just not your time. You have to take the initiative into your own hands, not trust in the coincidence of circumstances.
“Secrets always come out”
You think someone is cheating on you, and you want to know the truth, but for some reason, you can’t do it at the moment? Secrets always come out, the main thing is to wait, and the truth will come out. This phrase is usually said about some unpleasant fact that they try to disguise, and often this self-delusion is supplemented by the mantra about karma. “Well, nothing, when the truth comes out, karma will punish you,” or something along those lines.
But the reality is far from these naive sayings. Often the mystery remains unsolved; we want to believe that someday the secret will be solved and our curiosity will be satisfied. If it weren’t for this “crutch,” the brain would begin to go crazy, realizing that it would never get an answer to its questions. This leaves him with the hope of solving the puzzle.
“At least he didn’t suffer and is now in a better world”
The loss of a loved one is a tragedy. If the person was dear to you, it causes a storm of emotions because they are gone forever, and there will be no more meetings, no more conversations, nothing, only the memory of them. To comfort ourselves somehow, we tell ourselves that at least he didn’t suffer and is now in a better world. This may be true, but agony is not the most pleasant state, as people who have been in a state of clinical death for some time tell us. And there is no way to prove the existence of an afterlife.
So we, comforting ourselves, assume that everything ended quickly and without anguish for the dear person, and now he is sitting on a soft cloud and laughing, cuddling with his friends.
“I’m doing fine”
In some languages, such as English, the phrase “how are you” is something lengthy, like “hello.” It is not customary to give a long answer because basically nobody cares how you are. That’s why people usually answer “I’m fine” and try to believe it themselves. We do not want to load their problems with their surroundings, spoil their mood, or set them against themselves, so we get off with similar clichéd phrases and then begin to believe in them and believe that everything is normal; it’s just we are so effeminate.
“Next year will definitely be better”
Few people remember how, before 2020, many people said that 2019 was somehow not particularly good, and now 2020 should be great. December 31 will be replaced by January 1, and that’s it, the bad entities that ran the past year will be kicked in the ass by the good entities, and that’s when the goodwill comes.
But the reality, as usual, hits with such force that you bend to the floor. Yes, we all understand that the crisis is only getting worse, inflation is rising, fanatics are increasingly destroying everything that makes up rational civilization, and yet, in order not to go crazy, we force ourselves to believe that it will only get better from now on. It’s understandable; imagine how we’d feel if everyone said in one voice that there was nothing to be happy about and that next year would give a good kicking.
“Tomorrow I’ll start a new life”
Good things start in the morning, don’t they? So tomorrow, you’re going to start a new life. Well, at least that’s what you’ve assured yourself. However, tomorrow the day goes the same way as yesterday, and you push your changes back another 24 hours, then another, and so on.
This is a normal defensive reaction, for there is a conflict in your mind. On one side is your brain, which seeks maximum laziness; on the other is your personality, which realizes that you need to change something to move forward. Since the former requires no effort and does not force us out of our comfort zone, it is the position of the brain that we choose, and we stay in the same place. To justify the lack of change, we tell ourselves that it won’t be long and that moving forward is not canceled; it is just postponed for a while.
