Success comes to those who seek it, and people seek it in many ways whether it be by working hard to achieve it or by being conniving. It has been seen throughout history that the skill of deception can benefit those who have learned it well. Although trickery, lying and cheating have harmful outcomes, they can always come to someone’s benefit. The skill of deception can benefit people and also tear them down.
Many people are well aware of what deception is and how to use it but recognize the cons of what can happen when using it. Abi Agbojo, a sophomore, states that you can easily build your life off of lies and false statements. Agbojo goes on to say that you can become successful off of deception, but the consequences will always outweigh the benefits.
“I believe that deception can ruin your success, faster than it can build your success,” said Agbojo. “You will lose all of your credibility, and people will see you in a completely different light.”
Others focus on the more serious consequences of building your life off of lies, such as Abisayo Gbakinro, Junior. Gbakinro believes that you can only achieve short-term success when you don’t have good morals with yourself. Many people want to support others with good morals and behaviors such as theirs. Because of this, students such as Gbakinro have honest morals and behaviors to achieve their success with no consequences.
“The way I see it, deception has more bad than good,” said Gbakinro. “It can ruin relationships, it can lead to legal consequences, and it can start a cycle of lies that’s harder to main than if you were just honest to begin with.”
Although many people see the consequences of deception, others see how it can help you become successful if used correctly. Nana Nyantekyi, junior said that the only people who can truly get away with deception, are those who are in power because that’s how they built themselves up.
“If you’re an everyday citizen or an everyday student like myself, lying and cheating will only get you so far before you’re caught,” said Nyantekyi. “Although it may help you in that very moment, is it worth the cost of getting into trouble?”
Logan Barta, junior, feels that deception has helped many people reach their goals in very unethical ways. Barta believes that deception can help and be beneficial, but only to those who can fix their image and come back “a new person.”
“We see deception is very influential in politicians like Hillary and Bill Clinton, as well as Hunter Biden,” said Barta. “But the reason that they’re able to get away with all the lies and cheating, is because they have the money to fix their images. They’re able to hire teams of people to help them correct their mistakes.”
Deception is seen in many different ways by many different people. Some believe it’s only okay for those who are in power, and some believe it’s never okay and never will be okay no matter what it is. Bre-Lynn Riser, a sophomore, said that deception is one of the most hurtful things in this world due to its effects.
“I can’t understand why people would want to deceive anyone,” said Riser. “It’s not morally right and it never will be. No matter what the situation is it can’t be justified. It can harm mental health and well-being, constantly lying or hiding the truth leads to feelings of guilt, anxiety, and isolation and can also strain relationships with loved ones and create a sense of disconnection and loneliness.”
