The original lie

Let us imagine a world where no one can lie, not because it is forbidden or immoral, but because its inhabitants do not have the intellectual capacity to say something that is not true. This is the argument of "Incredible but false"in Spain or "The original lie"in America (2009. Prime Video and Netflix). The citizens of this curious universe speak their minds without restraint of any kind, even knowing that their opinions may hurt their interlocutor - "that dress makes you fat"- or be harmful, as in the case of a thief who is forced to give his real name when caught red-handed. The advertising is also incredibly funny with slogans like "Coke, a little sweet tooth" or "Pepsi, when they don't have Coke". The knot arises when the protagonist suddenly discovers that he can tell lies, getting everyone to believe them because no one mistrusts anyone since no one lies. Making use of the open sincerity that the story proposes, I will say that the film is not much, but it makes you think.

It makes us think of the world of lies we have created to cover up our shame as a society. We call democracies to oligarchies dominated by ideological and economic elites; we call love to relationships of convenience; we call religion to rites to soothe our conscience but that do not involve us...

In particular, our true face is hidden behind a multitude of masks. Sometimes, behind that of a kind and caring person, hides someone who continually judges his interlocutor and pretends to be attentive for his own benefit; at other times, behind that of a shy person, hides a proud person who is afraid to speak so as not to reveal that he is not as superior as he thinks he is.

The lies we surround ourselves with in front of others become a problem when we become convinced of them. A distorted image of ourselves will make us live in a parallel world, like the one in the movie, but not real. If I come to believe that I do everything right, all the problems that surround me will be the fault of others: I get divorced, because of my wife; I defraud, because of the tax authorities; I treat my employees badly, because of their lack of interest...

Telling sins to the confessor and doing penance is relatively easy; what is difficult is to sincerely face the truth that is in our heart.

In this time of Lent, we are invited to a very useful exercise to get out of the movie we may have made in our heads and to recover our judgment. The extreme sincerity that the examination of conscience of the sacrament of reconciliation implies will help us to remove our masks before ourselves, because we cannot deceive God.

Telling sins to the confessor and doing penance is relatively easy; what is difficult is to face sincerely who we are, the truth that is in our heart, which is where evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness and slander come from (cf. Mt 15:19).

If after taking an honest look inside ourselves, there is no pain in our heart, it means that we are still in the original lie. Let us make a resolution of amendment.