We are instructed at a very young age that we should always tell the truth, but what we find, is that as much as some of us really do want to always to tell the truth, that there are those times, when truth telling has rather bad consequences for us, not because we have done something wrong, but rather that the other person has done something wrong, and that we are the ones calling them down on it, of which, they take real offense at our exposure of their foibles.
In actuality, there aren’t a lot of people, that want to be held to account, when they have been deliberately trying to hide the bad act of what they have been doing, and when so held to account, they are not going to embrace the person that has exposed them, but rather they have a strong tendency to attack the truth bearer, because now that the real truth has been brought to bear upon them, they cannot handle that, which is the salient reason why they have not been forthright and honest to begin with.
Indeed, the most vociferous response to all aspects of lying comes from those who have been exposed for who and what they really are, and who, to the absolute best of their ability, did not ever desire to be found out. These people, then, are clearly not comfortable with being found out and will often hit back at the person so upsetting their status quo, which isn’t all that surprising, because those who hide behind lies and deception aren’t ever going to be comfortable being revealed.
All of the above signifies that when we know that someone is being deceptive or lying, that it isn’t necessarily in our best interests, or even theirs, to call them out on it, because the blowback that we receive may be far more than we can handle. Further to the point, those who are insecure about how they truly are represent people who need our sympathy and comfort, rather than necessarily having the unvarnished truth about them fully revealed. This is why we should try to be discreet and considerate in our interactions, as this is our responsibility to each other.
So too, there may be valid reasons as to why a particular person is not forthcoming as to who and what they really are, and even in those cases, when that is not true, is isn’t necessarily our place to be the one to point out the other’s errors, especially when what they have done has no consequence to us. After all, we are responsible for being a good neighbor, and not everything that we see and hear needs to be reported, for nobody really likes a busybody. So then, it is prudent for us to be careful and considerate as to what we point out to the other, because when it is not done for the betterment of the other, but rather is done as a form of shaming, we should expect their response to often be one that is going to be not only retaliatory, but also unforgiving of our stepping on their toes.