The Forth Rule

A wise man once said...

Rule Number Four:

When you in a hole…. Stop Digging!

How many times have you tried to lie your way out of trouble as a kid? Remember they knew, and they loved knowing! You just kept digging tossing more and more dirt out of the hole you were already standing in. Remember telling your spouse you thought that outfit didn’t look good on them and then trying to explain how it was the clothes fault…. When you are caught in a tight spot, chances are you should look and see if the ground here seems lower than what is around you…. Sometimes you just need to put down the shovel and say, “Ok, I’m done now”

Lets face it, we all lie. Sometimes its a little one that is more about convenience("Why I am late? You know, its actually kind of a funny story...") or politeness ("Don't be ridiculous, those pants look great on you!"), and sometimes its a big one to avoid trouble ("I assure you, officer, I have all the legal documents necessary to own this panda. The import papers and license are at home in my safe...") or for personal gain ("Hello Friend! I am Mr. Kumalo, a Nigerian prince...").

And if you are Tauba Auerbach, you might use it as a logic bomb.

The Complete Repository for all Human Knowledge even has a robust list of the different types of lies. Hell, its considered an important part of a child's development when they learn to lie convincingly. Clearly, lying is a integral part of the human condition.

But the simple fact of the matter is that most people are really bad at it, and even those of us who are practiced in the art can find ourselves caught off guard in a situation that no falsehood could explain.

It's not what it looks like!

So, despite every fiber of your being demanding that you try and talk your way out of it, just give up. The can't win them all, and the fallout will be a lot less harsh if you just accept your fate.