Should Lies Be Declared Illegal?

As Product Manager,  Sales Manager and finally Director of Sales and Marketing, I’ve been blessed with getting to know thousands of people. Those who combined honesty with mental toughness, like Dave Tamarkin, were the most fascinating. Sadly, our society allows politicians, news anchors and other key national figures bold faced lies and little white lies by using the following anachronisms: -Mis-spoke, Mis-remembered.  Instead, I prefer: Perger, lie, mis-inform, pervert, mis-represent, or just plain lie. These are liars, plain and simple!

Dave was a solid businessman who distributed sound equipment and musical instruments from out of his truck, then later from his office near Hartford, Connecticut. While many believe salesmen are dishonest, Dave, now deceased, was an example of a diligent and honest entrepreneur. Here’s a letter he sent me just before his death.

LIES

Lies Should be Illegal

When a lie is told, someone might believe part of it.
And should that person be told later that he believes in a lie,
that person must defend his belief.
Or, expose himself as a fool.

Vulnerable, stupid.
Some of that lie must be true, he says.

The lie becomes a structure. Strong, built with anger and deceit.
And soon the current of culture becomes diverted,
abstract, defended by laws, created by strong people,
so far from the original lie that
their character becomes imbued with the elation of having developed something good.
Good for all the people.
Needing to be defended, with weapons, and the lives of young men.

David Tamarkin
The Tamarkin Company

Although we’re all aware of the 10 Commandments, in his writing Dave exposed 2 key things that God HatesLies and Pride!

Pride forces one to defend himself lest be exposed as a fool.  (Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. – Prov. 17:12) According to Proverbs 6:17-19, here are 7 things He hates:

#1 Pride
#2 Lies
#3 Murder
#4 Plotting Evil
#5 Eagerness to do Wrong
#6 A Liar in Court
#7 Sedition – Someone who tries to separate family members and friends

Isn’t it interesting that God’s word mentions Pride and Lying even before Murder? While we think Murder is the worst wrong a person can commit, God is very serious about lies (even little white lies) – and pride! (Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there.)

Don’t let a false word ever come out of your mouth.

I miss Dave and his principles and clarity on moral issues. Don’t you wish those who rule over us, and you know and did business with refused to lie?

 

 

Photo by DonkeyHotey