Lying

Can lying be helpful? Usually, lying is considered deceitful, however, this is not always the case. Through the examples of literature, history, and science, lying is proven to be able to save someone’s life.

In the story, The False Prince, lying is a major theme. In the beginning, a man named Conner gathers four orphaned boys. He explains to them a plot to place one of them as the prince of the kingdom. They would be lying about being royalty. Conner believes that the kingdom is doomed to fail. He believes that placing one of the boys in his control on the throne would save everyone. Later in the story, a member of the royal court hears a rumor of Conner’s plan. He goes to Conner’s house with his men with the intent to search for a false prince. Conner hides the boys and explains to the man that he had no such intentions. If the boys were to be found, they would be killed and Conner would lose his position in the royal court. By putting his life’s work on the line, Conner saved the boys from an untimely death. Towards the end, it is revealed that one of the boys is actually the real prince. Conner and the other boys question why he had hidden his true identity. If the boy had revealed himself, the other boys would have been killed for the reasoning that there can only be one prince and that Conner’s plan must remain secret. The boy played the part of an orphan to save his newfound friends. The False Prince is not the only story in which lying to save someone is a major theme.

Lying is also a major theme in Number The Stars. Number The Stars is a book about World War Two and the families that hid the Jews from the Nazis. The book takes place in the neutral country of Denmark from the point of view of a young girl who’s friend’s Jewish family is hiding behind her own. The girl’s family would certainly have been killed by the Nazis had they been found out. The same thing also occurred in real life. Hiding Jews was not only for stories. During the real World War Two, families often hid friends and neighbors from the Nazis. The regular everyday people saved them from a terrible fate in a concentration camp. There were even fishermen who ferried Jews out of Denmark and into Sweden. This is also referenced in Number The Stars. The fishermen risked being discovered and killed to save strangers. The people of World War Two were incredibly brave and selfless, but lying with the possibility of dying is not the only way to create a helpful deception.

In an effort to help people, doctors lie about psychosomatic drugs often. They tell their patients that the drugs will make them get better, when in reality the drugs are just sugar. The patient’s mind tricks him or her into believing that they are cured. The doctors lie to their patients to make them better, however, some of the victims of these drugs continue to show signs of their previous disorder. The people who receive the “drugs” continue living with their disorder while being completely oblivious to it. They don’t get better, even though they think they have. But, without these lies, the people would be suffering or on medication that could make their situation worse. By deceiving their patients, the doctors are helping them and possibly saving their lives.

Lying for the benefit of other people is often a selfless act. It can cure someone or even save someone’s life. In moderation, lying has definitely proved to be worth the risk.