It is hard to conceive the degree of impertinence and deception that we have been subjected to during the Covid-19 era. We have been abused, insulted, violated, tampered with, and deceived by governments, scientists, doctors, politicians, businesses, and other institutions we have long trusted. It has been done maliciously, knowingly, indifferently and heartlessly. Every day, every hour of every day instructions, misinformation, rules and regulations, driving fear into our hearts as we washed our hands and kept our distance, and masked our faces and disinfected our surroundings and avoided family and friends and yet three million people died of Covid-19. Did all this make any difference? Did it solve the problem? Did it kill the virus? They had no idea what they were doing and they still do not know. Why have three million died and 147 million were infected? Why were the scientists unprepared for SARS-CoV-2? They were already well familiar with SARS 1, why were we not provided with protection? Do we yet know its origin? Is it lab-made or natural? Did it jump from bat to man? Did it start long before December 2019? Why is the US funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology and its BSL-4 lab? Theories, guesses and mostly lies, lies, lies. That is their trade. Lying allows them to hide, to self-protect, to endure and to retain their power. This whole week we were forced to look back at the lies propagated by the UN, the US, and the UK when they decided to usurp the land of Palestine, hand it over to the Jews, while promising an independent country to Palestinians. Has it happened? Israel has grabbed more and more land with the approval of the US. What about all the promises to the displaced citizens? Lies, lies, lies. A democracy indeed. The state of Israel is built on lies; the holocaust, the persecution, the Nazis. Why has every country rejected them? Any movies about that? What are they guilty of? What is the reason for the persecution? Were they the provocateurs of such violent acts? The answer may be crystal clear considering their treatment of the Palestinians, but who is seeking truth nowadays? The world has gobbled up their lies, protected them, funded them and instead of gratitude, they have been guilty of spying on the US, their main benefactor. Does the name Jonathan Pollard ring a bell? How about the sinking of the USS Liberty, the American ship killing 34 young American men and wounding many others. Is not America their main, perhaps their only ally, aiding them in building one of the world's greatest armies? Where is that august league of nations known as the United Nations? Helpless as ever — feeding us lie after lie, overruled and vetoed regularly by the US. What harm and hate has Israel tossed on the US? And what has it gained in return? All we can think of is money. Yes, America's own funds to Israel helps the Israeli lobby select, endorse, bankroll and elect its supporters. Money is a big motivator for lying, perhaps the biggest. A Dr Fauci, now famous for his flip-flopping on coronavirus misinformation, must have been paid handsomely to change his mind on a daily basis. As a scientist, he deals in facts, evidence, truth, but not when it comes to money. We know politicians, statesmen, presidents lie to their people without feeling any guilt. Why do we know that? Because they never stop. They continue on the path to deception, it is so much easier. Even scientists, our fountains of truth, have been caught lying, distorting facts and figures in their surveys and researches. We do not hear about them as much because they are covered up by their fellow scientist, who also lie. We know merchants, businessmen, salesmen, statesmen, politicians, presidents lie, with no remorse. How do we know that? Because they never stop. They continue to march in the deception parade, because they gain from it and all we do is keep silent. They must be punished. We need to stop them. Do we? To be fair, we all lie. Surveys have shown that we lie at least twice a day. Not all lies are intended to harm, but 'little white lies' can turn into "Big Black lies" if we do not self-regulate. According to behavioural psychologist of Duke University, Dan Ariely: "the dangerous thing about lying is people do not understand how it changes us". It becomes easier and easier, almost natural. Lying is hard work. A Harvard U neuroscientist, Joshua Greene, presented a study to a group with a chance for monetary gain. With a frontal MRI machine they discovered increased activity in the amygdala a crucial part of the brain that produces fear, anxiety and emotional response. Liars were trying to decide between truth and lies. Lying has to do with the ability to resist temptation. Studies have shown that children begin deception as early as six months, fake, crying for attention. By age two, psychologists have documented children lying & consider it a development milestone like walking or crawling. It requires sophisticated planning, seize the situation effectively and manipulate their elders. What about that sense of morality taught by all religions. That huger for truth and justice. That is fading fast as long as lying works. It pays off; it keeps us out of trouble and can even save lives. Is this the civilisation we worked so hard to achieve? "People are never more beautiful than when acknowledging themselves as liars." Mark Twain (1835-1910) *A version of this article appears in print in the 20 May, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
