A white lie is defined by Answers.com as “an often trivial, diplomatic or well-intentioned untruth.” I’ve been debating lately amongst my friends whether or not it is best to tell the whole truth or whether, at some points in our lives, little white lies are necessary. I’m here to bring you both sides of the argument in the hopes that you will add in your thoughts.

I will start against white lies. I was reading a book by Kerry and Chris Shook entitled One Month to Live: Thirty Days to a No-Regrets Life. The author described in one section his thoughts on what is really behind even the smallest of lies. “When you boil it all down, the real reason we lie is because we don’t love enough. Lying is the easy route, a selfish convenience. It’s taking the easy road, the path of least resistance for our own comfort. If you risk loving, then you’ll tell the truth. The more you love, the less you lie. The more you love, the more you have the courage to tell the truth.”

On the other hand there is a society called People for the Advancement of White Lies. They look to Clifford Irving as a hero. Irving is best known for almost printing an “authorized autobiography” of Howard Hughes. The entire book turned out to be a hoax. Everything written in the book was supposed to be based on interviews between Hughes and Irving that never occurred. The People for the Advancement of White Lies state their beliefs clearly on their website, which says, “Here at People for the Advancement of White Lies, we truly believe that harmless manipulation of the truth makes the world a better place. Our society stands behind the mother who would be crushed to hear that you hate her cooking, the father who would be tormented by the D you got in history, the sister whose ex-boyfriend you kissed… Together, we have the power to eradicate their pain, through the careful omission of these awful truths.”

So whose side are you on? Is a white lie no different from any other lie or is it an exception?