The seed of a lie can be produced simply. Telling a friend you are sorry for missing their phone call when， in fact， you purposely ignored it because you just didn’t feel like being disturbed. The seed is planted. Theoretically， white lies like this seem to actually come from a place of kindness—we want to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. So， perhaps a few seeds can be scattered harmlessly here and there. It’s when a lie starts to sprout that trouble begins.

The unfortunate thing about lying is that it can crossbreed(使雜交) with other undesirable qualities such as stealing and cheating. Case in point(相關(guān)的): my co-worker who miraculously had money missing from his cash register at the end of each shift. “I think I’ve been hitting the wrong buttons on the computer，” he would say. Sadly， there was no excuse to save him when the manager busted(逮住) him slipping a fiddy(俚語，50美元) into his pocket. Then there was the friend who was cheating on her boyfriend. Lies were laid upon lies， friends were brought in to help with the lying and eventually no one could tell up from down. In the end， not only did the relationship implode(破裂)， but I called it quits(結(jié)束) on the friendship also.

Undoubtedly， the ugliest characteristic of lying is its ability to destroy trust. I am instantly reminded of a friend whom I shall refer to as “The Girl Who Has Done Everything.” Tell her you’ve been to Japan and she will promptly tell you she’s been there three times…and stayed with a Samurai(日本武士). Have an interest in music? She studied violin at Juilliard(美國朱利亞音樂學(xué)院，成立于1968年，是最受歡迎的美國藝術(shù)學(xué)院之一) (yet， oddly you’ve never seen her with a violin). She has a keen interest in every sport ever invented， no matter how obscure， yet she complains about walking two flights(一段樓梯) of stairs. Hmm? When lies are this overgrown (畸形發(fā)展的)， when not even the sharpest pruning shears(修枝剪) can tame(制服) them， it is impossible to form true friendships because， to be honest， no one has the time to wade through(辛苦地讀完) the bullshit to get to what’s real.

The cold hard truth is: lies suck(令人厭惡). With all the tragedy that occurs on a daily basis， it is completely illogical to willfully(蓄意地) give birth to more wickedness(邪惡). So， the next time you reject a friend’s phone call， tell them you just needed some time to yourself. They will appreciate your honesty， and there will be one less seed in the world.