Liar Liar
Liar, liar, pants on fire! Have you ever said that to someone? I have. It is usually said in jest, but the problem is that there are people who will lie when the truth would suffice. Why would anyone do that? Why would someone lie about something that does not matter in the big picture of life?
Here are a few things I have observed about people who perpetually lie:
- Some people have exchanged a lie for the truth. It has become THEIR truth.
- Lying is a habit…a bad one.
- Liars have deceived themselves into believing that there will be no repercussions from their lies. Lies always have consequences, and none of them are good.
- People who perpetually lie are in a form of bondage. The problem is, they don’t know when to quit digging and so they just keep getting deeper and deeper in the hole.
If you have someone in your life that does this, here are a few suggestions:
- You can try to reason with them, but don’t argue. If they won’t accept the truth, chances are that nothing you say or do is going to sway them.
- Liars only seem to learn when they are busted. They will have to face the consequences. Even then, they may not change their behavior. Only time will tell.
- Some people just tell lies, lies, and more lies….and THAT is the TRUTH.
Mark Twain said, “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” Now THAT is worth remembering.
Friedrich Nietzsche said, “I am not upset that you lied to me. I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” That about says it all, doesn’t it?
Fyodor Dostoyevsky said, “Above all, don’t lie to yourself. The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others. And having no respect…he ceases to love.”
Shalom!
Dan Skognes
Dan, what do you do about people who say lies about you at your place of work? I am a teacher and have been slandered mercilessly by parents and colleagues, and my superiors usually buy it hook line and sinker.
It has gotten to the point where I have chosen to quit the profession, because a man with integrity has no chance in it.
That is a tough situation and I am sure it is very discouraging for you. My advice is not to give up on the profession. If you are not getting the support you need at your school, find a school where the Principal is someone that backs the teachers. There are still a lot of good schools out there…you just have to find the right one.
Unfortunately, there are teachers that cross the lines with kids every day and they give everyone in our profession a black eye and makes parents suspicious when they hear stories about the teachers. Kids tend to fabricate stories to begin with, and now with discipline being taken away from the schools, there seem to be few consequences for those that choose to break the rules. It is further complicated with parents who are the extremes. On one hand, you have the parent who wants to be involved in EVERYTHING and tends to get in the way. On the other extreme you have parents who are basically absentee and you can’t get any support from them at all.
In my school, we have to document, document, document to get a kid expelled. Part of that is due to the regulations of the State, and part of it is the school system trying to avoid litigation. It is not an easy road for educators these days. When they took prayer and discipline out of the schools, they left us vulnerable in ways that nobody could envision.
Kids need to know the rules and need consequences for their actions. If there are no rules, the kids rule. If there are no consequences, the kids rule. When kids rule, you have chaos. This is probably the number one complaint I hear from teachers today…lack of support from Administration.
I encourage you to hang in there as an educator. Don’t let the negativity of this situation sour you on teaching kids. Remember why you became a teacher in the first place. You wanted to make a difference in the lives of kids for generations to come….right? Don’t let anyone or anything steal your dream. You make think it is a nightmare right now, but you will survive. Stay the course and don’t give up on yourself or on your profession.
You are in my prayers. Shalom!
Dan
Thank you Dan.
In the interview for my most recent position, I candidly asked the principal about addressing parental concerns, because my experience had shown that some concerns had no basis. The principal said that they would direct any concerns to the teacher. They didn’t – instead they sat on the false information and brought up later as a means to give me a poor review.
This has happened at the last few schools that I have worked at, all independent. I’ve been staying the course and having faith for quite a while. But don’t trust anyone anymore to back me up, and am moving on with my life.