Those who lie do not live or even truly have their life.They substitute for that life the life of the lie and, in doing so, turn their eternal souls (and that is the right level of symbolic analysis) over to the king of the damned. Those who lie miss the adventure of their life.
So what?
If the use of deception enhances power—if it brings about hedonic delight—if it allows for the avoidance of responsibility, the quelling (however false in some absolute sense) of anxiety, or the circumvention of pain, why not indulge? The world is meaningless anyway, and the liar who wins may lie, but still wins.
Why is this quite rational rationalization unreliable?
First, perhaps, because it is naught but a manifestation of the spirit of the lie, attempting in its characteristic way to justify its default to deception.
Second, however, for a deeper reason: the meaning of life is in adventure, and the adventure that is true is literally to be found in the truth.
Chapter 12 | Truth as Adventure
