Sometime You Just Have to Lie

We may need to tell a lie in order to hide our secrets and privacy. Sometimes, telling a lie may be able to save us from trouble. I do not really believe that lying to others is a good idea because lying only makes us feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. I will never forget that I lied to my parents about my academic performance when I was in secondary school in Hong Kong.

In 1993, I studied in one of the secondary schools in Hong Kong. Just like other teenagers, I did not like to go to school because I believed that school was boring. Also, I did not feel comfortable in school because I was forced by my teachers to do homework and read books, which I hated. Although I was forced by teachers and my parents to study hard, I did not do well in school. I did not hand in my homework on time because I was very lazy, and I wanted to hang out with my friends all the time. At the end of the semester, I failed some of my classes. I was afraid that my parents would yell at me or beat me up if I told them I did not pass some of my classes. Therefore, I did not go home immediately after I got my report card. Instead of going home, I sat on a bench with one of my best friends in a park, which was nearby my apartment. In the park, I told her about my report card. She told me that I should not tell my parents about it. She said that if I told my parents about the truth, they would feel unhappy and disappointed. I believed that my friend was right. Therefore, I decided to change my report card. The report card was written by pen. As a result, the grades were very easy to change. I changed the 10 into 100 and 35 into 85 with my pen carefully.

When I opened the door, my parents asked me for my report card. They told me that they had waited for me for two hours. After I took off my shoes, I took out my report card from my schoolbag. I felt very nervous after I gave it to my father. I was afraid that he would find out the truth, that I changed my report card. Fortunately, my father did not notice that the grades were made up. My father told me that I had done a good job. He bought me a new schoolbag in the next day. I felt very happy in the beginning because I liked my new schoolbag very much. However, I blamed myself for telling a lie to my parents. I felt very uncomfortable in front of them. So many times, I wanted to tell them about the truth. However, I realized that they would feel sad if they knew I was dishonest. Also, I did not want to disappoint them. After this event, I studied very hard because I did not want to tell lies to my parents about my academic performance any more. I knew that my parents would find out the truth one day if I kept changing my report cards.

That is the only lie that I have told my parents. I still feel regret and unhappy now because I have escaped finding a solution to my academic struggles and lied to my parents who love me very much. Telling a white lie might have been a good thing for me avoid disappointing my parents and to avoid punishment. On the other hand, if you do it frequently, it will be a bad idea. This will make you to hurt other's feeling badly.


Posted at Oct 31/2004 12:51 PM:
Admin: This is a good story that makes a clear point, but there are some proofreading problems. Also, at the end, you introduce a new point which is not really related to what you've said before. That's not such a good idea, unless you're going to develop that point. This essay says nothing about white lies to protect people's feelings, so it's better not to raise that issue in your conclusion.

B

This is much better. I'm raising the grade to A-