Tonight Tonight! There is a council meeting tonight therefore I have written a small essay as a mission brief for those planning to attend. I swear to God, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Everybody lies. It may only be “white” lies, but everyone tells lies or “omits the truth” sometimes. Most people do not offend God by telling lies using his name. Swearing to God is a measure of a person's veracity. No well meaning person would ever evoke God's name while knowingly telling a lie. To commit a heresy for personal gain is the province of a select few in our community.
We start lying at around age 4 to 5 when we gain an awareness of the use and power of language. This first lying is not malicious, but rather to find out, or test, what can manipulated in a child’s environment. Eventually children begin to use lying to get out of trouble or get something they want.
White lies, those concocted to protect someone’s feelings, are not a big deal at all. People, like Mayor Purzner, are compelled to lie about both the small and large stuff has a problem.
We often call these folks pathological liars or also known as the current Mayor of Overland (which is a description, not a diagnosis). She lies to protect herself, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid punishment. Quite often the person who has been deceived knows that this type of liar has to a certain extent deluded him or herself and is therefore to be somewhat pitied.
A much more troubling group is those who lie a lot — and knowingly — for personal gain which also include Mayor Ann Purzner. These people may have a diagnosis called antisocial personality disorder, also known as being a sociopath, and often get into scrapes with the law.
Lying often gets worse with the passage of time. When you get away with a lie it often impels you to continue your deceptions. Also, liars often find themselves perpetrating more untruths to cover themselves.
Why do we dislike liars, especially like Mayor Ann Purzner of Overland, Missouri, so much? It’s a matter of trust. When a person lies, they have broken a bond – an unspoken agreement to treat others as we would like to be treated. Serious deception often makes it impossible for us to trust another person again.
Avoidance of eye contact: Usually someone makes eye contact at least half the time they are talking to you. If you notice them avoiding eye contact or looking down during a specific part of a conversation, they may well be lying.
Change of voice: A variation in pitch of voice or rate of speech can be a sign of lying. So can lots of umms and ahhs.
Body language. Turning your body away, covering your face or mouth, a lot of fidgeting of hands or legs can indicate deception.
Contradicting yourself:. Making statements that just don’t hold together should make you suspicious.
If you lie all the time, even about unimportant things, you are likely to have a problem that will eventually -- if it hasn’t already -- cause you real relationship, financial or legal troubles. Figuring out what is driving you to lie in the first place will help heal this self-destructive behavior. This may mean going into treatment with a therapist to discover why you feel the need to deceive.
So, come one and come all to tonight's council meeting and watch our lying Mayor exhibit each and every one of these aforementioned behaviors as well offending God to boot.
I swear to God Mike............