Lying versus being honest

I did it again this weekend. You probably did too, we all actually do it. And still, I think there is a difference between lying-lie and a LIE. And since today is April 30th (The Day of Honesty, yes), I’ll just come clean about my latest lie. Fair enough.

Together with a friend, I was in Paris this weekend because she had never been there and I know better than anyone how embarrassing that is when you’re over twenty. Well, we suddenly ended up at a cool party. I started talking to someone and could hardly do anything but lie. Or something like that. She (the cool Parisian with a mega-successful blog): ‘Oh nice, I love Utrecht! Do you live alone or with someone?’ Me: ‘Nice city, right? I live alone, yes! So lovely being alone!’ BAM. LIE.

The fact remains that a few months ago I had to move out of my little palace and suddenly found myself at my mom's doorstep with boxes full of clothes. Well, being 24 and living with your mother again… Being super cool is a bit different, let’s say, even if it’s temporary. And so you lie. For the best. To avoid losing face. We all do it sometimes. In fact: on average, Dutch people lie between one and three times a day. If we never lied, the world might be really tough.

Research from insurer Inshared even shows that one in five Dutch people honestly says when they go to someone’s house for dinner and don’t find the food to be great. You see; we don’t want to hurt others. And then lying is actually quite sweet. At the same time, a quarter of the Dutch regularly give a compliment without meaning it. That’s a bit unnecessary, fellow countrymen, come on. By the way, who do we Dutch people think is the most honest female celebrity? Floortje Dessing. I get it. That woman somehow radiates pure honesty. After that, we find Linda de Mol trustworthy, and we also get the feeling that Chantal Janzen is honest.

Okay, small assignment. Take a moment today to reflect on the concept of honesty. Just think about it. Post that photo on social media without that filter and say only what you really mean. Because today is really about honesty.

P.S.: I wish I could say that I typed this piece very chic in a coffee shop in Paris, but instead, I’m sitting unshowered in my hotel room eating a soggy croissant and crumbling my whole bed. With a huge pimple on my chin. Honest enough? Have a nice Sunday!