A Good Child or A Good Liar

by Chanel C.

I used to be a good child. I never disobeyed my parents, my teachers, or any other elders, and most important of all, I never told a lie. "An Honest Good Child"--that was how they used to call me, and I was proud of this title. However, people always had to wake up someday.

It happened on a fabulous day. I had just had a really happy birthday celebration with my newly acquired boyfriend--my first one. When I came home in a pretty good mood, I found there were three pairs of eyes staring at me--my Dad's, my Mom's and my younger brother's. It was my Dad who opened his mouth first: "You look different recently. You've got a boyfriend?" I nodded frighteningly. (I have told you that I used to be an honest good child.) I didn't know whether it was a good start or not. What I did know was, from the next day on, I had lots of phone calls from the other elders in the family, "You are still too young!" "You have to be careful! Men are not as good as you think," or "We just want to let you know that we all care about you, very very much." In a week I became the most popular topic among my relatives, and from that day on, I lost my freedom of movement; I could no longer leave home alone. I could not help wondering, "Is honesty indeed the best policy?"

I seemed to hear my heart say, "No! Honesty is not exactly the best policy." Therefore, I decided to break out of the category people used to put me in. I felt that I needed a space of my own. Thus, the first "bad" thing I did was to move out of campus housing so that I could enjoy privacy with my boyfriend. I rented an apartment, and started a teaching job to pay for the bill for "my first residence". To hide this news, I needed to make up and arrange for lots of excuses and stories for my relatives, especially my parents. It has been one year since I moved off campus and my parents knew nothing about it! Since there was the first time, the second time wasn't far. I've traveled to the east and west of Taiwan with my boyfriend secretly, and I feel that I am the master of my own life, though it's always underground.

Is honesty the best policy? I won't say "No!" but my answer would be, "Not Exactly!" It's good to be honest because it brings trust between people, but we also can't deny that "Something Is Better Left Unsaid"; otherwise, it might break the harmony between people. On the other hand, cheating helps train our brains and patience! A good reason to convince others takes a thoughtful think tank and a hardworking mind. That is, you need to know how to collect information sufficiently and efficiently, how to organize them properly, and how to present your case perfectly. Besides, you need a good memory and excellent reaction ability, so that your tricks will be without a trace. All of these things make you smarter.

I used to believe it is good to be a good child, but now I believe it is better to be a good liar.

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