Maya’s Own

Recently questions arose in a discussion about lies in business; more specifically when is it ok to lie in order to get sales, not big lies, just itty bitty ones. Is it OK to lie to keep the peace, or to avoid an argument?
A while back I went with someone to purchase a used car, the salesman assured us that this particular brand and model was such a good car even his wife drove one! The following day a friend was also told the same story about a different car, maybe the salesman had more than one wife!
Knowing this I hesitated and thought to myself that if he is so desperate to sell a car maybe his cars are not very reliable.
Look, it was a very small lie really, we made good fun of it but I did not buy a car from him.
How small is a small lie and how do you differentiate it from a big lie?

Someone suggested that small lies don’t hurt anyone but big ones do, this sounds fair, but say that you have a lot of small lies and those lies become huge:
“no I did not have sexual relations with that woman” comes to mind.

I would like to say I never lied, or never will lie again but I can’t, I may lie to save myself from some sticky situation or because the truth could be too hurtful, let the one who never ever lied cast the first stone.

What I can make sure of is that I will endeavor to be as honest as possible without compromising my safety, “Do I look good in this?” one question I would rather answer with a lie if I have to.
We all tell lies, small itty bitty ones on a daily basis, if someone asks you:
“How are you today” do you answer
” I feel awful, my head hurts and I just don’t really want to talk to you, also I think my boss wants to fire me…” no, you wouldn’t dump like this on anyone, you just smile and say:
“I am very well, thank you”.
In this case are you an awful liar or just being sociable?

We seem to accept that it is OK for some people to lie to us, politicians, people in the media and advertising, after all you can’t really believe that you will end up looking like Paris Hilton if you buy her perfume, or that you will be dating that super model what’s her name if you use a certain deodorant. We are sold lies and we know they are lies, but we like to pretend otherwise.

I remember laughing while watching Star Trek when Captain Kirk would speak into what looked like a wrist watch and say the famous words:” Beam me up Scotty”
Things have improved from the early mobile phones in the nineties when they were the size of a brick and weighed as much. Now I see people of all ages walking down the road seemingly talking to themselves, one arm bend holding their ever smaller cell phone to their ear.

If people want to talk and walk I have no issue, I get a little steamed up if in the middle of a conversation with someone their phone rings and they proceed to talk at length. I never hang around and just walk off, it would be common courtesy when in a conversation to ignore the phone or if it is important to make it brief, after all it usually is not urgent. Most people would be happy to ring back or leave a message. Is there any etiquette specific to mobile phones? What are good manners when it comes to using a mobile to talk or text?
Maybe we just have lost all notions of courtesy being so wrapped up in being electronically connected. Recently a cafe owner complained of the number of people walking in, holding up the queue whilst talking on the phone, what is it with people, can’t get coffee without telling someone about it? Maybe they just want to look important and busy: “Look at me, look at me, I talk on the phone, I am a shmuck, but I am important!”

Please turn off your phone while in a theater, a restaurant or at the movies!

Leaving a mobile on to ring while at a performance or in a restaurant is the height of bad manners, you not only will spoil it for your companion [s] but also for everyone else, it is definitely uncool. The right thing to do is to show good manners and switch off the phone or alternatively put it on vibrate, if you must answer it, excuse yourself and step outside.

Do not talk on the phone while driving

Unless you have blue tooth or a hands free device, driving while talking on a mobile phone is totally stupid, you have one hand holding the phone and you are driving at speed, you will be distracted. This is illegal in most countries, and so it should be.
This of course goes also for texting while driving
I recently was on the city bus when i could not help but overhear a phone conversation, a young woman was telling her friend about her antics of the night before, it was very entertaining, it should have been Xrated but all the bus passengers got a good earful and a good chuckle. What shocked me the most is that she was totally oblivious to the effect her phone conversation was having, when she got off the bus many people commented on her conversationin a very unflattering way. Nobody told her to keep her voice down, this would not do and I suppose most thought that maybe she wanted us all to hear it!
The young woman may have thought she was so cool.
We have become so dependent on our mobile phones, I know a few people who just panic when they misplace their phone, all the phone numbers and addresses are in there as well as a lot of other information.
I have slowly been weaning myself off, no mobile on the week end and I switch it on silent most of the time unless I expect a call.
Phones are becoming smaller and have so many more applications, there is always the push to get the latest and most expensive device, why?
I traveled in Vietnam and mobile phones were everywhere there too, I even saw an older lady in the traditional peasant dress carrying a long bamboo pole and her two baskets of vegetables, when out of nowhere i heard a Xmas jingle [Rudolf the reindeer], she pulled her mobile out from under her vegetables and started talking.