The Case of the Disappearing Children

Common and harmless is the ‘white lie. And perhaps this is true when used to avoid harming another person in some trivial doesn’t-matter-at-all kind of way. 

Common and harmless is not the description for many lies that we hide behind the ‘curtain of white’, however.

Although the IRS has extended the deadline for 2020 taxes by a month or so, April 15 is still the deadline for filing and paying estimated taxes.  Some of us need to remember that and get busy, I suppose.  It is this deadline that suggested today’s conversation.

When it comes to taxes, we can tend to be creative.  Sometimes, our ingenuity leaves behind honest accounting.  Legal tax deductions and exemptions are to be used – that is what they are for.  But in the past, those computations have been, well maybe inflated would be an appropriate description.

Although a bit humorous, one widely abused example involves children.  This 1989 LA Times article explains that in 1987, the IRS began mandating the inclusion of social security numbers for all children deducted on tax returns.  Coincidently, it was the exact moment that nearly 7 million kids disappeared from the face of the earth.  

I will leave it to you to decide if this supernatural event was caused by rapture or capture.

Well, let’s agree that taxes have become a push-the-envelope situation in modern times. Of course, most of us won’t admit that it is dishonest because well, everybody does it. That's what I have heard, anyway.

‘Everybody’ might also participate in small offenses like these:

• I’m fine.
• I’m sorry.
• I forgot.
• The traffic was horrible.
• You look great!
• I never said that.
• No problem.
• It’s all good!

But sometimes, we are also deluding ourselves while veiling the impact of our self-defined ‘white lies’.  In the disappearing children scenario, the government was short-changed billions of tax dollars.  That affected everyone in the sense that funding wasn’t available for say, things like repairing bridges. This hits home when the local news is covering something like the I-35 Bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

Change is required.  I am going to admit that I am probably not as honest as I want to believe. (Reading this sentence even shows how reluctant I am to confess!) When faced with situations demanding a choice to-lie-or-not-to-lie, I will refrain from the vocal knee-jerk response that might have come naturally in the past.  Although understanding that there could be many reasons for this untruth, I will go forward recognizing there is likely harm that is generated as a result of my own creative fibs. 

For those very common responsorial ‘myths’, I need to determine if the reason might be self-interest over others. In many cases, this deceit might be elevating my status while correspondingly disparaging another.  This is not the person I wish to be.

And for the instances of proclamation prevarications, I will question my purpose. The reason might be tribal acceptance as I look to impress my own group at the expense of others. I need to examine my statements for truthfulness to prevent any self-righteousness judgment of others.  

I will focus on some very good reasons to overcome this seduction. 

• Integrity makes looking in the mirror much easier as one holds firm to moral and ethical principles. 
• Trustworthiness elevates status as one becomes a reliable source of truth.  On the other hand, it only takes one misstep to become labeled as a liar in perpetuity.
• Sincerity is a reputational highpoint for any of us. I am completely blessed if I can look into the eyes of another knowing without a doubt that I have found the rare and precious freedom to disclose without judgment, persecution, or malice.  As I treasure this quality in another, I will set the goal to be sincere for others.

"But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere". James 3:17