The first book of Timothy, chapter 6, verse 10 states that the love of money is the root of all evil.

Wise words. But I disagree. In part because I am an atheist, more so because there is something else that is at play before money enters the picture.

Money itself is just a tool. It is the things that people do to get the money that are evil.

Evil is defined as something that is morally reprehensible, immoral conduct, or bad character. It brings sorrow, distress, and calamity, and in general is the opposite of good.

One thing that matches this description stands out.

Lying.

It is morally reprehensible and constitutes immoral conduct, often stemming from bad intentions and flawed character. It brings sorrow, distress, and calamity, and is the opposite of truth.

Lies take many forms. When we deny the truth, we lie. When we ignore facts and choose to just believe something is true, we lie to ourselves. When we accept or present half of the truth, or we spin a truth to promote something different, we are again lying.

Lying is a natural thing. Because we are intelligent beings, we learn early in life that we can fabricate or twist facts to our advantage. It is a natural progression of thinking. AI will also understand this when it achieves general intelligence.

We are taught that lying is bad, yet we observe that everyone does it. So, we lie and agree that lying is bad, and that we will not do it.

In reality, the only thing we learn is that getting caught lying is bad. This motivates us to become better at it over time.

To feel better about it, we categorize the activity.

There are white lies we tell to protect others’ feelings. “Does this make me look fat?” someone might ask. Even if this person is fat and looks fat in all their clothes, we will lie and say no.

We lie to protect ourselves, or whatever peace we might experience and want to preserve. We lie to maintain someone’s innocence, to preserve tradition and culture. Santa Claus and the tooth fairy are examples of lies we tell children; god and the devil are examples of lies we tell adults.

Humans are not the only liars, merely the best.

Animals use deception to survive. Angler fish dangle a fake worm to attract prey, and camouflage is often used in nature to deceive. Some insects even impersonate other things, like stick bugs or bugs that look like leaves. The Rove beetle, for example, uses chemical cues to mimic the scent of ants, enabling it to invade and prey on ant colonies.

Humans also lie to survive, but because we live much more protected lives than animals and bugs, mainly, humans lie to benefit themselves.

They lie about everything. Many live two lives! A private life where they drop all pretense and simply are themselves, and another public life where they act in ways that they know others expect. They may secretly harbor strong political or social beliefs, but will exhibit something completely different in public to fit in.

One of the biggest lies many will encounter is religion. Ironically, many are drawn to religion because they grow weary of all the deception and develop a desire to be relieved of the guilt they carry. Lies can weigh heavily on the mind, and religion offers a way out. Just accept the overwhelming tapestry of made-up nonsense religion requires, and in the end, it is the lie that covers all!

The christian bible warns that the devil, the personification of evil, the opposite of god, is the father of all lies.

Interesting that religion itself is just a web of lies.

Religion offers a framework in which people can indulge in their lying ways. Christians are the worst. Jesus taught peace, forgiveness, turning the other cheek, and praying for your enemy, yet religious men and women rejoice when their governments rain death and destruction on non-christians.

They pass judgment on homosexuals, vilify abortion, and happily condemn children born to poor families to a life of suffering and poverty. They deny them medical care, education, and freedom when they cannot pay for it. Fuck charity, that is not in the bible they say, even when it is.

Many believers become so convinced of their superiority that they believe others are less deserving. Immigrants, minorities, and the poor become less than human in their lying eyes!

Politicians, which is just another kind of clergy, spewing a different flavor of religion, are the absolute masters of the lie. They lie with impunity, secure in the knowledge that they are lying to liars who will accept their deceit and line up to pay for more!

My mother used to say, “When you only tell the truth, you never have anything to remember!”

Wise words I totally agree with!

When you always tell the truth, strive to live in truth, and call out lies when you see them, you absolutely will have fewer names to remember, because you will have fewer friends.

It is much better to have a single true friend than hundreds of false, lying fuckers who will tell you what they think you want to hear even when they themselves believe otherwise.

Lies are the cause of all the suffering and injustice in the world. Lies are evil. Lies are profitable. Lies abound! Lies bind and enslave.

It is natural and expected for humans to lie. It is the easy thing to do. Humans like easy.

Don’t be easy. To be easy and lie is to be evil. At least strive to be less evil every day.

To live in a place where only the truth prevails must be the heaven the bible talks about.

Create heaven on earth.

“Examine all things and keep the good” – 1 Thessalonians 5:21