Outright Lies vs Lies of Omission: A Matter of Trust

There are those who wouldn't lie at all. They say it the way it is without mincing words. They are those who protect their integrity by all means and also respect people around them.

Everyone wants to know the truth about something, no matter how risky the outcome. For others, they believe that saying things as they are without mincing words or hiding the important part is more dangerous than someone who intentionally lies.

This is where you see people trying to caution them not to say everything, so that they don’t enter into trouble. I have been in such a situation where when I tell my friend everything about a problem, she would, in turn, share it with her boyfriend. This went on for months until I found out and decided not to share every detail again to protect myself.

We have been made to understand that, sometimes, not sharing all information about oneself is important because not everyone is happy with you.

I realised that lies of omission themselves can be harmful than outright lies. For instance, when someone chooses not to tell the whole truth, it doesn't mean they are lying, but they are careful to control themselves and not spill out all information, and most times, saying the whole truth can save someone.

A lie of omission is when someone decides to keep the important part of the truth so that the other person won't have the whole information with them, especially when their intent is bad or when you are trying to make the person feel safe and not get worried.

I could just tell a friend that I am travelling and not tell them where exactly I am heading. Does that mean I lied? No, I didn't. I only didn't share the whole information so they won't feel worried about me.

Another example here is when I say to my female friend, "I went out with friends yesterday," but I didn't mention that her ex was there. I didn't lie! I just left out a key detail, perhaps knowing how my friend could have flared up about it and started thinking something else if I had told her the whole truth.

When talking about an outright lie, this is when someone deliberately says something that is not true at all. For example, telling me you attended a class today, but you didn't. This statement is completely false.

Let's look at it this way: outright lies give false information, while lies of omission hide the important information.

But one would ask: why not say the whole truth rather than giving half of the information, or better still, keep quiet and not say anything?

For me, saying the whole truth builds trust. Even when the truth feels uncomfortable, at least the other person will know you are telling the truth. This is because saying half-truth (lie of omission) creates a false impression.

The other person would believe and think they have the whole picture when in fact, they don't. Once the hidden part is exposed, they feel misled and, in some cases, feel like they are being manipulated, and the one who gave the information is sneaky. This destroys trust.

When you tell the whole truth, it is called honesty, and if you hide part of the information, it is called deception, but it depends on the context of the matter at hand.

The reason most people engage in a lie of omission is to avoid consequences. But there are instances where speaking the whole truth demands it, and if one chooses to hide the important parts, it is considered dangerous because lies of omission become harder to detect. The listener feels hurt when the truth eventually comes out.

In conclusion, lies of omission could be dangerous when applied in certain contexts, but when it comes to protecting what is dear to you, trying to avoid unnecessary commotion or in situations where you don't trust someone, it is better not to give the whole detail so they don't cause you problems later. But then, outright lies are completely dangerous because at this point, you lied, and there's nothing to prove a point about it.

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