3rd Rock

So I was watching Third Rock From the Sun. Yeh, I admit I watch way too much late night, rerun TV. Anyway, as an alien, Dick (John Lithgow) is able to spout such pearls of wisdom. What freedom with a character. And Jane Curtain's character is such a perfect foil. She was angry at Dick for his having been honest at a meeting he attended in her stead. So she says, "Since you value honesty, I'll be brutally frank." He replies, "All right. I'll be Genuine Dick." I need to watch that show more often.

Honesty

So why is honesty the best policy? There is always the moral consideration, but I vote for simplicity. Keeping track of lies wears out the liar. Some may view lying as a challenging game, but the stakes get higher and higher, and I do not relish the possible embarrassment. As a teacher, I would find a few truthful explanations so refreshing instead of the tired, old and often lame excuses. Even originality does not impress me when I consider what the lie is doing to the person making up the excuse. I remember fondly a game show called Truth or Consequences, not so much for the format as for the title. It might be fun to live by that motto.