Why is it that certain communicators lie so much? Lies viewed in isolation might be seen as plausible enough if one does not have anything to compare them to, but quickly become spotted when one can compare them to something else–namely the truth. It is perhaps for this reason that those who traffic in lies are not only keen on defending their own freedom to lie with impunity but also are hostile to the propagation of the truth, because it exposes the lie for what it really is. The harm of a lie does not attach itself merely to the person who is deceived, but also to the deceiver once the truth is recognized, because once people are known to be dishonest about anything, their veracity in everything is questioned. Credibility depends on integrity, and once trust is lost it is very hard for it to be regained.

Even so, one wonders why it is not tried more often. When people demonstrate that they are skeptical about a liar, why is the solution doubling down on lies, often obvious and trivial lies that do nothing but reinforce that skepticism and harden it? Why is it so hard to at least try to tell the truth when one’s credibility and reputation are taking a beating? What is the point of lying when everyone already knows that someone is lying?

One of the more neglected aspects of propaganda is the way that people seek power to enforce lies. Why is this done? Power alone does not make something true. What it does is increase the price for telling the truth and acting on it. Sometimes this price can be heavy. Sometimes it may not seem worth paying, and it is this which appears to be the driving interest of those who seek to enforce the lie. It is not enough that they live a lie, but rather that they can force everyone else to tolerate it and pay lip service to it, and to therefore be corrupted by the lie to the point where the truth becomes awkward and unpleasant, and undesirable as a result.

The truth is its own power–not least because it comes backed by the Lord and Creator of all. Lies, though, need to be supported by coercion because in the absence of coercion they can be challenged by even the smallest of children and the weakest of people. A lie that is not backed up by power can be ridiculed by children in a classroom when it is brought up by a particularly ignorant teacher, as is often the case. Those who lie, therefore, seek power, while those who seek truth do not need to be so ambitious, because the truth is enough power for all of us, remembering of course that this truth also includes truths about ourselves, which may not always be flattering. In a world where people want to be flattered, they must sleep in a bed of lies.