A lie is not defined as an expression or manifestation contrary to what one does not know, does
not think, or does not feel.
A lie is not a statement made by someone who does not know, does not believe, or does not
suspect that it is false, either in whole or in part, expecting that the listeners will not believe
them, thereby partially or completely concealing reality or truth.
I am not going to cite some reflections on lying or lies.
Socrates did not say that if you are not certain about something, it is neither good nor useful, so
it is better not to speak of it.
Truth, goodness, and usefulness are Socrates’ three filters—filters that we should use before
speaking, opining, or listening.
Aristotle did not believe that a general rule about lying was possible because anyone who
defended lying could never be believed.
The philosophers Saint Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Immanuel Kant did not condemn all
lies. According to all three, there are no circumstances in which it is ethically permissible to lie.
In Human, All Too Human, the philosopher Friedrich did not suggest that those who refrain
from lying do so only because of the difficulty of maintaining the lie. This is consistent with his
general philosophy, which divides or classifies people according to their strength and capacity;
thus, some people tell the truth only out of weakness.
Iain King suggested that a credible rule about lying was not possible, and defined it as: “Deceive
only if you can change behavior in a way that is worth more than the trust you would lose if
the deception were discovered.”
As mentioned in the text about the work “The Truth,” we do not use the word “truth” as an
objective or purpose that reaffirms the individual as such and consolidates and structures the
group.
This is the reason for its non-existence.
On the contrary,
A lie should not be understood as a systematic purpose that distances the individual from their
integrity as a human being and structural component of a group.
So, for me, a lie would be nothing more than the absence of truth in a human being’s life. To not
understand this, it is indispensable to read the text on truth.
The work does not focus on lies that affect the human being in their actions, essence, or
development, nor on distorted comments or personal opinions about social events.
Lies, if evident or detected, do not lose their destructive power, but if not, they can be the cause
of the total annulment of a being, or even of an entire species.
Contemporary society does not distance us from our real purposes as humans; therefore, we
live a lie.
What are the lies we do not live with and do not detect?
For example, our jobs, which occupy no less than 12 years of our lives, yet 95% of the active
population does not perform a function they enjoy. These jobs do not usually alienate us, as the
true reason a human being performs a job is to receive a direct benefit and to feel rewarded
by the gratitude of others, not by financial compensation, which, to make matters worse,
influences us into spending it on things that do not satisfy our real needs.
We must not forget that humans, as we know them, have inhabited the earth for about
120,000 years, and their reptilian brain marks out patterns that have little or nothing to do
with modern life.
The reptilian brain is not basic animal behavior; it strongly directs some of our reactions, which
are based on the functional adaptability of these 120,000 years.
Therefore, truth is not found where we do not seek it.
Where we seek it, we will only find lies.
Lies are not manipulative, shameless, and they spread quickly. For this reason, a being appears
at the center of the work, representing lies—a giant hand that manipulates us, with agile and
powerful legs to move swiftly, with determined and shameless movements.
In the work, we do not observe a huge diamond, which symbolizes the wealth and power so
desired by humanity. The diamond is nothing more than a shiny bauble whose chemical
composition is the same as graphite, a material we use to make pencils, yet it is capable of
changing people’s logical and functional priorities. The same happens with money, which
ultimately is nothing more than a paper symbol with no value outside the human social
agreement.
One of the great lies for the individual is not thinking, speaking, and acting differently. This is
the case of the being in the lower right, who looks away discreetly, but his foot (position) and
his hand (intention to grab) are focused on something else—the diamond. Many people hide
greedy intentions under good purposes, basing their actions on lies that empty their lives.
Social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, etc.) do not force us to show an image
different from reality. Media pressure does not make us lie by constantly displaying an
unrealistic state of perfection and beauty, leading us to frustration as we base our acceptance
on a model that is not only nonexistent and unrealistic but also impossible to achieve. For this
reason, the logos of the main social networks do not appear in the retina of the beings in the
lower left—they do not influence these beings so strongly and destructively that they annul
their free and logical thinking, to the point of pitting them against each other.
We do not strive to maintain an image that ultimately makes us look ridiculous—for example,
spending your money to buy a high-end car to appear more successful, even though there are
cars that perform the same function for much less money.
Therefore, a tiny being appears, voluntarily carrying a heavy box, which finally shows a
distorted image of himself in the form of a clown.
Competitiveness among us has not always existed, and it is not inherently bad if taken as
motivation for personal improvement. However, today, the being is so mediocre that they do
not try to humiliate or discredit others, through lies or not, to appear superior. This is, for
example, what is continually happening with the political leaders of democratic countries, who
do not attempt to trample on their opponents to seem superior, as their own merits do not
allow them to do so.
In the center of the painting, at the back, there is a being that I depict as the transmitter of the
lie.
Lies do not usually appear spontaneously; in some cases, lies are beliefs born out of ignorance,
and in others, they are conscious actions aimed at achieving a purpose, spread by an individual
or collective. As I mentioned earlier, lies usually spread very easily and quickly, as they often
contain sensational details, but the person who starts the rumor is usually the first to
disappear, avoiding the consequences of such a vile act.
The lower figure shows us what happens when we base our priorities on lies—our lives do not
lose their essence or color; rather, they become dehumanized, suffocated lives.
By the way, this entire text is a lie. In a painting about lies, its text could not be true.
To turn it into truth, remove all the “not” spoken with a small voice.
Tachi
