Lying - An Unfortunate Habit

     Lying used to be among my favorite things to do. I would see just how much I could escalate the scale of my lies before my victim knew I was lying. That’s how I convinced two teachers in subbie year that I had gone diving on a tropical island over break, found a shipwreck, discovered gold, and sold it to the government for a massive profit. It was satisfying when people looked me in the eye, trying to determine whether I was messing with them or not. I got a thrill from stretching my imagination and acting the part of someone who was just as bewildered as them - I was just as surprised as them that I had found gold. 

    From a more cynical viewpoint, I was happy to manipulate people and feel like I was “outwitting” them. However, to be honest, I think most of my satisfaction came from the levity my lies brought. It was a nice break from school to talk about the animal that crawled out of my toilet or the note I found in the vents. Plus, even when people knew I was lying and started asking questions to prod me on, it’s not like it wasn’t fun anymore because I wasn’t deceiving them. If anything, it was more fun to be pushed in new directions by the absurd questions. 

The reason I stopped lying is multifaceted. One reason is because I started to feel bad when a couple of people took me 100% seriously and it felt like I was taking advantage of their trust. It’s one thing one someone is skeptical and you’re just messing with them, but it’s another thing if they look like a fool for giving you the benefit of the doubt. 

Another reason is because, simply put, people just stopped believing me. When something genuinely crazy happened to me, people assumed I was lying. Additionally, when I actually was lying, it became increasingly difficult to make people think that my story was within the realm of reason. Additionally, lying all the time got annoying as well. There’s more to conversation than weaving false narratives, and both my listeners and I were getting tired of the absurdity. After a while, lying like that will just be met with a raised eyebrow and a sarcastic “sure…”. 

The final reason is that I discovered that I could get the same opportunity to stretch my imagination and break my norm from different outlets. I wrote a zine about squirrels taking over the school with friends. I made Cooking with Zhaohan, where I burned pancakes and made pineapple soup. I cut up my sister’s old shirt to make a tuxedo and sang Tiptoe Through the Tulips for Mr. Universe on helium. I took PVC spears and cardboard shields someone made for their history project (with permission) and led a battalion of 7 on a charge through campus. I choreographed a fight scene with my friends in the senior lounge complete with punching, screaming, shoving, and slapping. 

I think my shift away from lying is one of the more visible ways that I’ve matured during my time at Uni. With that said, let me tell you about the Nigerian prince I helped over the four day weekend - it was totally insane.