Al-WATAN

A WOMAN comes home and out of joy asks her husband for his opinion about her new hairstyle. Although the husband did not like her hairstyle at all, he would not tell her the truth. He would blurt out: “Wonderful; beautiful; I like it.”

A young man buys an oddly colored car and visits his friend with a face full of happiness to ask him about his opinion of his car. Although the friend did not like the car, he would still praise it.

If the common definition of lying is a statement contrary to reality then what happened in the two previous examples were blatant lies, because the men expressed statements contrary to reality and what they had actually felt. Some people do not consider such statements as lies, but call them “compliments”.

So what is the difference between a compliment and a lie? Is our life upright without compliments?

Many people mix between compliments and lies; some consider them both bad while others distinguish between the two. Some people consider a compliment a white lie to soften acceptance, and it does not fall within the definition of a blatant lie, as we all know it.

The only essential difference between a compliment and a lie is in its motive. Lying only serves self-interest, but a compliment’s motive is to please other people.

When someone says something contrary to reality motivated by some vested interest, either to him or to someone else, it should be considered a lie. On the other hand, when someone says something that is contrary to reality motivated by the love of doing good, then it should be considered a compliment.

Although the acts are the same in effect, the intentions behind them are different, making the players either evil or good.

I must add that not all compliments are good, especially when someone voices an opinion that is contrary to morality and social values.

However, when one is guilty of making a compliment with the intention of harming the reputation of someone else, then the compliment will be considered an act of mocking. This kind of compliment comes out fear of a person complimented, or his status. Here, the motive of the compliment becomes a personal interest, and thus it is to be considered a lie.