canto
Aug 11, 2010
Writing Feedback / TOEFL Essay: Are there times when lying is acceptable? [2]
From our childhood, we were told that we should be honest no matter what happens. However, today it seems that lies are somewhat part of our lives. Sometimes dishonesty really does harm to others, but there are some situations when lying is acceptable and it's a better decision.
A lie can be acceptable if it is said to avoid hurting someone's feeling. For instance, if a girl asks her friend weather or not she looks good in her new dress, her friend would be justified to lie and say that she does, even though she doesn't, as she would be lying to avoid hurting her friend's feelings. Telling a white lie is always acceptable if it is to prevent an unreasonable fight between two friends and avoid hurting someone's feelings.
In addition, lying can also be acceptable in medical situations in order to encourage a patient and make him fight for his life. If a patient that is ready to be operated asks his doctor if he would be okay, although the chances of survival may be little, it would be acceptable for the doctor to lie and say that everything would be alright as it will encourage the patient to keep fighting for his life. Instead, if the doctor had told him the truth, the patient would have been discouraged and wouldn't be willing to fight for his life anymore, which could have had fatal results.
Moreover, telling a lie so as to save a person's life is again acceptable. For example, in a war, people are forced to lie in front of their enemies in order to save their companions' lives. In such situations, telling the truth would have meant the end of a person's life and nothing is more important than life, so lying is absolutely acceptable as it is done for good.
As a conclusion, I would say that the truth is a good thing, but sometimes it's not the best one. Being honest is not always the right decision to make, because a lie, even a white lie, can sometimes bring better results than the truth would, and in such situations lying would absolutely be acceptable.
From our childhood, we were told that we should be honest no matter what happens. However, today it seems that lies are somewhat part of our lives. Sometimes dishonesty really does harm to others, but there are some situations when lying is acceptable and it's a better decision.
A lie can be acceptable if it is said to avoid hurting someone's feeling. For instance, if a girl asks her friend weather or not she looks good in her new dress, her friend would be justified to lie and say that she does, even though she doesn't, as she would be lying to avoid hurting her friend's feelings. Telling a white lie is always acceptable if it is to prevent an unreasonable fight between two friends and avoid hurting someone's feelings.
In addition, lying can also be acceptable in medical situations in order to encourage a patient and make him fight for his life. If a patient that is ready to be operated asks his doctor if he would be okay, although the chances of survival may be little, it would be acceptable for the doctor to lie and say that everything would be alright as it will encourage the patient to keep fighting for his life. Instead, if the doctor had told him the truth, the patient would have been discouraged and wouldn't be willing to fight for his life anymore, which could have had fatal results.
Moreover, telling a lie so as to save a person's life is again acceptable. For example, in a war, people are forced to lie in front of their enemies in order to save their companions' lives. In such situations, telling the truth would have meant the end of a person's life and nothing is more important than life, so lying is absolutely acceptable as it is done for good.
As a conclusion, I would say that the truth is a good thing, but sometimes it's not the best one. Being honest is not always the right decision to make, because a lie, even a white lie, can sometimes bring better results than the truth would, and in such situations lying would absolutely be acceptable.
