Mike, you make me think (not always a good thing according to my girlfriend).  I saw the title to this post in your index and immediately needed to check it out.

Deceit is human. Who hasn't lied? Integrity is also human. Who hasn't bucked up and confessed the truth from time to time? In some cultures, deceit is expected and praised (in one ethnic group of which I have considerable experience, sharing how one got away with something is among the grandest of stories).

Seems like in our culture, we honor integrity with our words but practice and accept deceit with our actions.  We re-elect dishonest politicians and wish the courts would be more liberal in how they enforce the rights of criminals (until we are directly affected).  We too often look the other way on what we know is wrong. We still love Bill Clinton after he looked right at us and lied about his affair with Monika Lewinsky. The President of the United States looked us in the eyes and lied to protect himself.  Nixon got run out of office and lived in virtual exile for the remaining years of his life. Clinton makes $200,000 per speaking engagement because so many people revere him.

I think one's level of emotional maturity is the difference between choosing deceit and choosing the truth. Truth is tough.  We can know right from wrong but I think we need a healthy level of emotional maturity to practice it.

Maybe we need to be more focused on helping future generations develop healthy levels of maturity that allow them to live right than to talk right.

What a big topic.  It could take a book to cover everything.

Regards,
Doug