"When Lying Becomes a Virtue, Civilisation Declines"

"When we are forced to deceive in order to meet the demands of the 'man of the system,' we all suffer. Truth and honesty build trust. Trustworthiness is a building block of civil society. Russell Roberts in his book 'How Adam Smith Can Change Your Life' puts it this way: 'When you can trust the people you deal with—when you don’t have to fear that your trust will be exploited for someone else’s gain—life is lovelier and economic life is much easier.'
    "Imagine a world where you can’t trust the honesty of those you encounter. Commercial life would falter, and social life would be strained. Civil society wastes away when trustworthiness erodes.
    "The decisions we make as we go about our daily lives are the building blocks of society. Getting with the programme and lying can have terrible consequences. There may seem to be personal benefits to following the herd, but when the herd normalises lying, the commercial and social ties we depend on become frayed."
          ~ Barry Brownstein, from his article 'When Lying Becomes a Virtue, Civilisation Declines'