On Deception, Out of Necessity

I have been thinking about the concept of deception for quite a little while now. I chase Truth for the most part and thus, deceptions are always an issue of concern for me. Yet, as the saying goes: “I can accept things not only as True but I can also accept things as Necessary”.

The questions regarding deception (“Why deceive? Is it good or useful?”), arouse when I was watching a documentary about social experiments. I understood that in many cases, in order to perform a social experiment, there may be a need for the subject to be deceived for the experiment to work. Even though I am not fond of the idea of deception, in this case I do think that deception can be and should be used because it is necessary.

Further thinking about whether I myself deceive, I realized that the avatars I use for my social websites which I am a member of, are indeed deceptions. The White Wolf is not who I am. The First Nations flag I attached to my Face-book profile also does not define who I am. These are only some parts which make-up the manifestation of this Being.

With that in mind, even if I post a photograph of the body I inhabit, that would still not describe who I am, or explain what I am. Appearances are indeed deceiving. I try not to indulge into how things look or appear because our perception falls pray to deception in many ways.

If we just rely on our perception and judge too soon, we may indeed be deceiving ourselves. Deceiving oneself is not necessary in my opinion but perhaps deceiving others or otherness may sometimes be needed. Many people deceive. Hunters deceive. Actors deceive. Illusionists deceive. Sorcerers deceive. Parents playing Santa Claus deceive. Perhaps we all deceive, one way or another … Life itself is deceitful, out of necessity.

Note: My photograph, Ontario, Canada, 2006