Embellisment
by Miki SaxonAre you prone to exaggeration?
A little here, a bit there, year after year and that longevity often leads to more and more outlandish claims until your house of embellished cards comes tumbling down.
Research has shown that the human animal is prone to embellishing anything—maybe not everything, maybe not all the time, but it’s all possible.
What is the ethical line that separates a normal human frailty from a true breech of trust?
At one end you have the obvious black—outright lies and claims of things (degrees, experiences, etc.) that never happened.
At the other end you have white—the person considered a social misfit through total honesty.
And between them the various shades of gray.
How do you extricate yourself from an embellishment in the past that has become part of your history?
How dangerous are embellishments in these days of instant fact checking and the immortal nature of everything on the web?
A fascinating article in Knowledge@Wharton discusses all this and more along with the social implications, the effect on trust and various views on the subject of embellishment.
Please read the article, then come back and share your thoughts.
Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/urbanwoodswalker/4025343099/
