This will be a blog about my life and how it is impacted by lies everyday. keep in mind as you read that these are just my personal thoughts and should be not taken as anything more
01/01/14
"You look so cute today Taylor".... I was wearing sweatpants and an old YMCA t-shirt. "Really?" I asked. "Sure" the person responded and right there is where they made the mistake. When they let those four letters slither off of their tongue they made a crucial mistake. They shook their head from left to right, signaling a "no" but they said "yes". It was a false positive. It was a common slip-up, one that you probably see on a daily basis. The person meant no harm I was sure, they probably just wanted to serve me a compliment to make me feel good or maybe I did look cute..... in a sloppy, just rolled out of bed way. I really don't know but it was duly noted.
"You look so cute today Taylor".... I was wearing sweatpants and an old YMCA t-shirt. "Really?" I asked. "Sure" the person responded and right there is where they made the mistake. When they let those four letters slither off of their tongue they made a crucial mistake. They shook their head from left to right, signaling a "no" but they said "yes". It was a false positive. It was a common slip-up, one that you probably see on a daily basis. The person meant no harm I was sure, they probably just wanted to serve me a compliment to make me feel good or maybe I did look cute..... in a sloppy, just rolled out of bed way. I really don't know but it was duly noted.
01/03/14
Now, this lie was very interesting. Are you guys ready? It was the classic "say that you are O.K. when you really feel like your life is falling apart lie". This, my friends is what I would call a "white lie". It is a lie that does not directly hurt anyone and is usually used to prevent someone from getting their feelings hurt. I think this is one that everyone is familiar with and the person you are usually trying to protect is yourself. You are trying to protect yourself from being "that friend". The friend that is constantly complaining, the friend that is the party pooper. So you tell a little lie, you say that you are O.K. when obviously you feel horrible. So, my friend that is usually quite chatty and excitable is walking around mopey and sad. He takes out his head phones one time all day. So I say "Hey, are you O.K.?" and what is his response? The lovely " Yea, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Right in between the fine and Just he forced a weak smile onto his color drained lips. He looked horrible and I'm sure that he felt the same way but I did not press the issue. I have learned that sometimes white lies are told not only for their benefit but for yours also.
Now, this lie was very interesting. Are you guys ready? It was the classic "say that you are O.K. when you really feel like your life is falling apart lie". This, my friends is what I would call a "white lie". It is a lie that does not directly hurt anyone and is usually used to prevent someone from getting their feelings hurt. I think this is one that everyone is familiar with and the person you are usually trying to protect is yourself. You are trying to protect yourself from being "that friend". The friend that is constantly complaining, the friend that is the party pooper. So you tell a little lie, you say that you are O.K. when obviously you feel horrible. So, my friend that is usually quite chatty and excitable is walking around mopey and sad. He takes out his head phones one time all day. So I say "Hey, are you O.K.?" and what is his response? The lovely " Yea, I'm fine. Just a little tired." Right in between the fine and Just he forced a weak smile onto his color drained lips. He looked horrible and I'm sure that he felt the same way but I did not press the issue. I have learned that sometimes white lies are told not only for their benefit but for yours also.
01/05/14
As I dive into this project I am learning more and more about the world, consequently I am learning more and more about the humans that inhabit it. We lie. This much is very clear. Even though I am writing these stories of lies that people have told me I also realize that I lie. I lie without even realizing that I am doing it. I will open my mouth prepared to tell the honest truth and then foreign words come out of my mouth. This is not always the case of course, sometimes I lie on purpose but other times it is involuntary. Anyway, this entry is about a lie that I told. My teacher asked me "Taylor, when did you begin this project?" No one wants to look like a procrastinator so, naturally, I lied. I was ready to tell the truth and accept the repercussions that would result. Instead though I lied. I said a week before I actually did start the project. Afterwards I felt bad, not because I procrastinated but, because I betrayed an unspoken trust between the teacher and I . Although I was the only one who knew that I lied it made me upset to know that I had lied to this teacher that I trusted and that trusted me. I learned a lot about myself in this little exchange. Odd.
As I dive into this project I am learning more and more about the world, consequently I am learning more and more about the humans that inhabit it. We lie. This much is very clear. Even though I am writing these stories of lies that people have told me I also realize that I lie. I lie without even realizing that I am doing it. I will open my mouth prepared to tell the honest truth and then foreign words come out of my mouth. This is not always the case of course, sometimes I lie on purpose but other times it is involuntary. Anyway, this entry is about a lie that I told. My teacher asked me "Taylor, when did you begin this project?" No one wants to look like a procrastinator so, naturally, I lied. I was ready to tell the truth and accept the repercussions that would result. Instead though I lied. I said a week before I actually did start the project. Afterwards I felt bad, not because I procrastinated but, because I betrayed an unspoken trust between the teacher and I . Although I was the only one who knew that I lied it made me upset to know that I had lied to this teacher that I trusted and that trusted me. I learned a lot about myself in this little exchange. Odd.
01/07/14
"Hey mom, where is my blue, red and white jacket?" I had been running late to school so, I was running around the house looking for different things. I looked like a chicken with its head cut off. I asked my mom again thinking that she hadn't heard me. "Oh...... I thought you didn't want it anymore" My mom is a very outgoing person, she never lowers her voice and it never wavers unless she knows she was wrong. This was obviously the case here. When she said it the pitch in her voice was all over the place. She never liked the jacket in the first place so, I was not surprised when I learned a few minutes later that my jacket had been given to Goodwill. This was not the first time that something like this had happened, nor do I think it will be the last. She knew I loved that jacket and that I wanted it but, I let it go. I let it go because I bought it from a thrift store so this only gave me another reason to go on a thrift shopping spree. :)
"Hey mom, where is my blue, red and white jacket?" I had been running late to school so, I was running around the house looking for different things. I looked like a chicken with its head cut off. I asked my mom again thinking that she hadn't heard me. "Oh...... I thought you didn't want it anymore" My mom is a very outgoing person, she never lowers her voice and it never wavers unless she knows she was wrong. This was obviously the case here. When she said it the pitch in her voice was all over the place. She never liked the jacket in the first place so, I was not surprised when I learned a few minutes later that my jacket had been given to Goodwill. This was not the first time that something like this had happened, nor do I think it will be the last. She knew I loved that jacket and that I wanted it but, I let it go. I let it go because I bought it from a thrift store so this only gave me another reason to go on a thrift shopping spree. :)
01/09/14
"Oh no, I don't do that stuff anymore" que shoulder shrug. This was a lie told to me by a "male friend". We are still in that phase where we are trying to impress each other, not really let our true selves show. He told me that he didn't do something, I won't disclose exactly what he is or is not doing but just know that I don't like it. He knows this, and I don't mind that he does it because it is not my body or my mind. He thinks I will stop taking to him if I find out so, he lies. Not often but he does it nonetheless. Ok so, the reason I know he was lying this time is because he was unsure when he said it. His voice went up a few octaves during this sentence and he shrugged his left shoulder which is an indication that he was unsure of what he was really saying. I found this interesting. I didn't call him out, but maybe I should have. I don't know, I think there is a time and place for everything. We both knew the truth.
"Oh no, I don't do that stuff anymore" que shoulder shrug. This was a lie told to me by a "male friend". We are still in that phase where we are trying to impress each other, not really let our true selves show. He told me that he didn't do something, I won't disclose exactly what he is or is not doing but just know that I don't like it. He knows this, and I don't mind that he does it because it is not my body or my mind. He thinks I will stop taking to him if I find out so, he lies. Not often but he does it nonetheless. Ok so, the reason I know he was lying this time is because he was unsure when he said it. His voice went up a few octaves during this sentence and he shrugged his left shoulder which is an indication that he was unsure of what he was really saying. I found this interesting. I didn't call him out, but maybe I should have. I don't know, I think there is a time and place for everything. We both knew the truth.
01/11/14
If I had to choose 3 adjectives to describe you , all three of them would be the word liar. You lied. Blatantly lied to my face and you knew I would notice it but you did it anyway. I think that is one of the worst things you can do to a person. Lie to them when you know that they will know you are lying. You wanted me to call you out, cause a scene, cry, make a fool out of myself. But no, I refuse to give in to your immature games. You so much that I would think that you would be a professional by now but, no you are horrible at it. Sometimes you are so horrible that I think you want me to know that you are lying. This lie was about a girl. Now, let me just explain something. I am a very understanding person and I do not ask for very much. I know that mistakes happen, I know that there is a such thing as miscomunication, and I know that you are only human. But, I also know that you are by no means innocent and that you were well aware of the situation. You get away with a lot so I think that it is time to start calling you on everything that you do. I deserve better.
If I had to choose 3 adjectives to describe you , all three of them would be the word liar. You lied. Blatantly lied to my face and you knew I would notice it but you did it anyway. I think that is one of the worst things you can do to a person. Lie to them when you know that they will know you are lying. You wanted me to call you out, cause a scene, cry, make a fool out of myself. But no, I refuse to give in to your immature games. You so much that I would think that you would be a professional by now but, no you are horrible at it. Sometimes you are so horrible that I think you want me to know that you are lying. This lie was about a girl. Now, let me just explain something. I am a very understanding person and I do not ask for very much. I know that mistakes happen, I know that there is a such thing as miscomunication, and I know that you are only human. But, I also know that you are by no means innocent and that you were well aware of the situation. You get away with a lot so I think that it is time to start calling you on everything that you do. I deserve better.
01/13/14
Have you ever thought about why you let people get away with the things they do? Is it love? Is it empathy? Is it sympathy? What is it? I guess it is different for every situation but I don't understand it either way. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know when some people are lying. Yet, we chose to ignore it. There are red flags all over the place blowing proudly in the breeze and we just brush right past them. We have instincts for a reason. They are there to serve us when we are not trained to detect lies. Although it is great to be able to scientifically come up with a conclusion as to how you know someone lied working with a natural feeling is not bad either. The thing with natural feelings is that you would have to find evidence, some kind of concrete information to solidify your feelings and to prove your feelings to others. I need to start calling on my natural feelings, using my gut along with my knowledge of scientific lie detection. If you have ever seen the show Lie to Me you would know the one Hispanic woman character that is a natural. She is a natural body language and facial expression reader. She rides on her instincts and then is learning the skills needed to become a professional. She is very successful in the show and does well at her job. My point is that she has an advantage because of her natural ability but has a way to back up her "gut feelings" with hard science facts.
Have you ever thought about why you let people get away with the things they do? Is it love? Is it empathy? Is it sympathy? What is it? I guess it is different for every situation but I don't understand it either way. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to know when some people are lying. Yet, we chose to ignore it. There are red flags all over the place blowing proudly in the breeze and we just brush right past them. We have instincts for a reason. They are there to serve us when we are not trained to detect lies. Although it is great to be able to scientifically come up with a conclusion as to how you know someone lied working with a natural feeling is not bad either. The thing with natural feelings is that you would have to find evidence, some kind of concrete information to solidify your feelings and to prove your feelings to others. I need to start calling on my natural feelings, using my gut along with my knowledge of scientific lie detection. If you have ever seen the show Lie to Me you would know the one Hispanic woman character that is a natural. She is a natural body language and facial expression reader. She rides on her instincts and then is learning the skills needed to become a professional. She is very successful in the show and does well at her job. My point is that she has an advantage because of her natural ability but has a way to back up her "gut feelings" with hard science facts.
01/15/14
This lie is something that I have not heard since middle school. I went to a cut throat middle school where we would compete for grades and tear each other apart based on grades. My high school career has been nothing like that, nothing that has reminded me of middle school up until today. Because I am a senior and have applied to many schools now is the time when many colleges that have rolling admission are sending decisions. All of my colleges but one are not rolling admission so I get all of my decisions back in the spring. The one school that is rolling admission that I applied to I got accepted into. A lot of the students at my school on the other hand applied to a majority of schools that are on rolling admission. Therefore, the students are all receiving a new acceptance a day. One day I asked someone if they had gotten into a school that they had applied to and were talking about last week. The person looked at me for about 40 seconds and then answered with a lie. The person looked me straight in the eye and tried much too hard to focus and said "Yes". The person was not at all excited or seemed the least bit surprised. In this case my gut told me that the person was lying. It would not be at al logical for a person who got accepted into their top college not to show even a little excitement. I found out later on that day. When I confronted the person about lying they were at a loss for words. Lying about something like college acceptance to me seems silly, it is a privilege to even apply to college so lying about your acceptance for other peoples' benefits makes no sense to me. Anyway, i believe this was my first entry where I ended up confronting the person. It worked out well because realizing why they lied was an important fact.
This lie is something that I have not heard since middle school. I went to a cut throat middle school where we would compete for grades and tear each other apart based on grades. My high school career has been nothing like that, nothing that has reminded me of middle school up until today. Because I am a senior and have applied to many schools now is the time when many colleges that have rolling admission are sending decisions. All of my colleges but one are not rolling admission so I get all of my decisions back in the spring. The one school that is rolling admission that I applied to I got accepted into. A lot of the students at my school on the other hand applied to a majority of schools that are on rolling admission. Therefore, the students are all receiving a new acceptance a day. One day I asked someone if they had gotten into a school that they had applied to and were talking about last week. The person looked at me for about 40 seconds and then answered with a lie. The person looked me straight in the eye and tried much too hard to focus and said "Yes". The person was not at all excited or seemed the least bit surprised. In this case my gut told me that the person was lying. It would not be at al logical for a person who got accepted into their top college not to show even a little excitement. I found out later on that day. When I confronted the person about lying they were at a loss for words. Lying about something like college acceptance to me seems silly, it is a privilege to even apply to college so lying about your acceptance for other peoples' benefits makes no sense to me. Anyway, i believe this was my first entry where I ended up confronting the person. It worked out well because realizing why they lied was an important fact.
01/17/14
This entry is another one about the college process. My friend lied about a scholarship this time and I did not confront them at all. We were applying to the same scholarship and we were discussing what we wrote our essays about. The prompt was very personal so I told them that I understood if they did not want to discuss it with me but they decided to. At this point I do not know the person very well. When they told me I just took it in and said O.K. later on that week I saw the essay and noticed that it was about a completely different topic. It did not bother me persay, what bothered me was that they lied when they were given a choice not to. I always say that they are not obligated to tell me, so why tell me anything if it is not the truth. Sometimes I think people just enjoy feeling like they have fooled you.
This entry is another one about the college process. My friend lied about a scholarship this time and I did not confront them at all. We were applying to the same scholarship and we were discussing what we wrote our essays about. The prompt was very personal so I told them that I understood if they did not want to discuss it with me but they decided to. At this point I do not know the person very well. When they told me I just took it in and said O.K. later on that week I saw the essay and noticed that it was about a completely different topic. It did not bother me persay, what bothered me was that they lied when they were given a choice not to. I always say that they are not obligated to tell me, so why tell me anything if it is not the truth. Sometimes I think people just enjoy feeling like they have fooled you.
01/19/14
This has been a wonderful journey. I never knew that people lied to me so much and that I lied so much. I was happy to know that I was not being lied to most of the time, well they weren't huge lies. This website is not here to make you feel like everyone you know is a liar and your entire life is a lie it is just here to make you more conscious. This is just to open your eyes and hopefully enlighten you. When I first began to study micro-expressions and studying the art of lying in general I was a nuisance to everyone around me. I was constantly testing people and using the information I learned on them. Take everything you learn and be careful with how you use it. Not just the information in here but all of the information you will acquire in life. I hope this has not made a pessimist out of you. I hope you enjoy exploring this website just as much as I enjoyed creating it.
This has been a wonderful journey. I never knew that people lied to me so much and that I lied so much. I was happy to know that I was not being lied to most of the time, well they weren't huge lies. This website is not here to make you feel like everyone you know is a liar and your entire life is a lie it is just here to make you more conscious. This is just to open your eyes and hopefully enlighten you. When I first began to study micro-expressions and studying the art of lying in general I was a nuisance to everyone around me. I was constantly testing people and using the information I learned on them. Take everything you learn and be careful with how you use it. Not just the information in here but all of the information you will acquire in life. I hope this has not made a pessimist out of you. I hope you enjoy exploring this website just as much as I enjoyed creating it.