One sunset photo a week is my goal but I figure various stages might make it a bit more interesting. Right? I took the photo below directly before the sun fell to the horizon.
“Making it more interesting” sounds better than admitting I didn’t have one night within an entire week where I caught the sky at the right time. So basically… that was a lie. (Albeit a little one.)
You were manipulated.
I read an article this week about people trying to manipulate other people and how to spot if it’s happening to you. Interesting but nothing new. We’ve all been lied to so many times we probably recognize the altered speech patterns, lack of eye contact, and nervous behavior without a reminder.
The author said there are two categories people prone to manipulation fall into.
- Those who understand what they are doing is wrong but don’t care — so long as they get what they want.
- Those who are convinced they are right and their actions are justified.
Nah. There are more categories, for sure.
My fib of manipulation doesn’t fall into either of those categories. It wasn’t really wrong… it was an excuse to explain away an action (or inaction in this case). It’s not like I claimed to be at the funeral of a loved one to skip work and hit the casino. I’m also not convinced I’m right — I could’ve taken a REAL sunset shot and didn’t.
And when you tell someone they don’t look fat when they obviously do… that’s not really wrong either — and no way you can convince yourself you’re right.
Harmless excuses that don’t matter and fibs to protect feelings are 2 categories I’d add.