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There is Truth and there are also Lies – And worse: There are Liars

In our series on How to Think Better, we had an episode that was titled “There is Truth.” Well, there is also falsehood. There are also people who regularly lie.  Pyschologists diagnose some people “pychopaths” and/or “sociopaths” — people who not only lie regularly, but enjoy hurting others. It may be analyzed that these people are demon possessed.  Let’s consider the situation in a practical manner.

We must recognize and teach children about falsehood, lies, and sociopaths.

Why This Relates to the “Learning Disabled”

This dynamic is very important to recognize and teach our children about. Children, reared in good environment, can be quite shocked, and often after bad experiences, if they do not know that some people lie, and some of those situations can be dangerous. Students with “learning disabilities” are particularly at risk for these bad experiences. It has been famously said that “LD students have bully targets on their back.” I do not know why this is so. Is it because these students also have weaknesses at noticing social cues? Or is it that they are spending so much time on academics that they fail to develop such social skills?

Three Steps for Parents/Educators

How do we, as parents respond? First, inform ourselves, and think better ourselves. Do not be snookered. Secondly, teach our children directly that there is such a thing as a falsehood, there are liars, and there are LIARS who intend to hurt. Thirdly, we must train our children not just in social skills but in character — so they do not become THOSE PEOPLE.