don't lie

In some American Indian tribes, the greatness of a tribe is judged in part by the greatness of its enemies....

Which makes me wonder if the greatness of any human endeavor might not likewise be judged by the greatness of the lies it employs.

Employment, marriage, war, birth, death, improvement, explanation, science, philosophy, etc. -- how flagrant and ornate are the lies that may be woven around their shielded truths? I do not mean this as a form of cranky or cynical criticism. It's just a question.

Going with this flow for a speculative moment, it is interesting that spiritual endeavor is no less prone to weaving vast and intricate tapestries and yet spiritual endeavor (more often than not) carries within it the out-front diktat ....

Don't lie.

If the greatness of a human endeavor is partly judged by the greatness of its lies, and if spiritual endeavor carries within it the prescription not-to-lie, does this make spiritual endeavor a greater or lesser human endeavor? If, when encouraged not to lie, a person lies anyway, does this raise them up or cast them down?

It's not something one man can tell another.

But it can be taken into consideration, I imagine.