SWEET LIES-BITTER TRUTH.

Children never lie.
They slowly acquire this ability, when they grow up in this make believe world.
They are never bothered about the consequences of telling the truth. We as grown ups always try to hide it under the mat, We are and will be scared of the skeletons in the closet.
My neighbour had lovingly made a dish for us and it turned out to be sour, we promptly washed it in our kitchen sink and forgot about it. After a week, she casually asked Mansi about the taste and Mansi told her that it was delicious and everybody enjoyed the dish. Chaitra who was eaves dropping blurted out blatantly that the dish was never consumed by us and was washed down the drain, much to our shock. Our neighbour was crest fallen and she did not warm up to us ever again, at least for a month or so. I did not scold Chaitra. I did not want her, to lie ever. She continues her truth telling habit all the time, embarrassing us at times.
Children remind us of our lost innocence, every day of our life.
I sometimes lie to my wife, over praising dishes cooked by her painstakingly, as I realise the effort she takes to do so in her busy professional life. A word of encouragement goes a long way in nurturing a relationship.
She is a good cook though.
She reads my blogs and will read this one too!
Lies pervade our lives. The lovers lie about their clean past, The office people lie about their illnesses to bunk work. The rich people lie about their losses to evade taxes. The shop keepers lie about the prices of their shelf expired products. The husband lies to spend some time with his paramour. The in laws lie about the defects and diseases in the overaged ripe bride, ready to marry an equally matched alcoholic, out of work bride groom.
We as doctors also lie to our patients at times, A young girl asked me, How long would she live with her terminal illness? I was faced with a dilemma, I chose to tell her the lie that she would live to be a sweet woman with children and would live for many decades. She passed away the next week, as expected. My guilt knew no bounds. I had given her momentary happiness, but she would be watching me from heaven and wondering about my false hopes and dreams.
Many cancer patients' relatives never allow the patient to become aware of the dreaded disease, Such patients are always in the dark about their illness and often change doctors to effect a cure. I am of the opinion that the adult patient has every right to know about the disease and its prognosis, It helps them plan the rest of their short life better.
Lies buy us peace of mind.
That effect is however temporary, though.
The ugly and the bitter truth always surfaces.
Let's face the truth.
Let the light shine through.