Some “big fat liars” (to use a term we did in childhood) have been exposed this week.
First, the Notre Dame scandal where many people likely are lying, not just footballl player Manti Te'o.
And now Lance Armstrong finally admitting to what everyone knew. He lied and lied and lied and lied and lied.
Why does it happen?
How can you spot it?
Well, those are questions for others, but I do have the simple formula for stopping lies within yourself. (Most all of us have done it, after all, small stretchings of the truth to look better, feel better or spare another's feelings.)
Ask yourself: Does the outside story I'm telling the world match the inside story of who I really am and what I know to be true about my life?
So the football player likely knew (at some point) the dead girlfriend only lived in his fantasy.
And Lance knew that he was injecting himself with crap before every long bike ride.
If yes, your outside story matches the inside story, you're not lying.
If no, you are.
Simple but sometimes more difficult than it seems.
(S-R archives photo)
Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with Catherine Johnston, an Olympia, Wash., writer who works in hospital administration, write about issues of grief when facing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.
Ask a question: Rebecca and Catherine answer grief questions in their syndicated EndNotes column for McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. Email them at endnotescolumn@gmail.com.
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