It's what we do. We lie. It's what separates us from children, because while they lie, too, they do it in a context in which it isn't approved of, or encouraged. We lie about everything, even to ourselves. We pretend to like things when we don't. We pretend to have things under control when we don't. We hide our feelings (think of how close you have to be to someone just to admit to them that you aren't happy). We even lie to ourselves. So much, so, in fact, that we don't realize we're doing it anymore.
It's more about conformity when you're on your own. Trying not to make waves, trying to fit in to survive (the true rebel doesn't climb the corporate ladder very successfully, if s/he holds a job at all), trying to avoid conflict. When things are bad we say they aren't, when things are good we play it down. When your spouse tells you you look good, do you believe it? Does it have the same emotional impact as if s/he told you otherwise? We expect to be lied to, all the time. We expect the "no making of waves" attitude, and it leaves us numb to anything good others might say.
All this lying cuts us off from each other, tho. There is no expectation of honesty, so while fear might be low, trust is still nonexistant. All we have is our intrepretation of WHY someone might be lying the way they are. "Is he saying I'm talented to shut me up, to soften a blow, or because he means it?" Everyone is just a guess to everyone else.
Consider this the next time you meet a child. We lie the most to them. We convince them we are "grown-ups", beings who understand the world and know something "kids" just don't, or can't. We hide our pain from them, pretend to be happy when we are not to "protect" them, tell them everything's fine when mommy and daddy are really hurt and fighting, etc. We hide our very humanity from them (from fear of losing our influence over them, perhaps; or maybe to prevent frightening them) and the result is that we teach them to hide their own humanity.
The Rev