The Lying Truth---Everybody Does It.

   Well, probably not everybody. When we were of the impressionable age, and learning about morality, it was not the law which would judge our infractions but God himself. With, we reasoned, the aid of his angels. Though they appeared so innocent, they were perfectly capable of ratting us out for every little sin, no matter how venial. Once reported, those sins would remain in our heavenly permanent record until the day we were judged for all eternity. Not wanting to spend any more time in Purgatory than need be, I avoided those occasions of sin and pretty much always told the truth, afraid even to exaggerate because those migrant nuns to our religious education classes told us that too counted as a lie.
   God must have since then attached  a leniency rider to the code for lying, probably due to the population explosion in  Purgatory because now, as I said, everybody seems to lie.  I told a lie when I parked in the space reserved for ER patients:  because I couldn't find another space and didn't want to be late for my appointment. A little kind of whitish lie, but that paled compared to the administrative lying inside the medical building.
   The doctor had ordered a stress test, as part of an annual type office visit.  I had not had a stress test in a number of years. Filling out the form before the test, the nurse indicated "chest pain" for the reason.  I told her I didn't have any chest pain and she said they had to put that for the reason. I know---a doctor can't just prescribe what he thinks may be of value for his patients.
    A stress test now traces your cardio activity until you reach what they determine to be your optimal peak heart rate which in my case was pre-determined to be 127. With the treadmill speeded up slightly and adjusted to a slight incline, I reached that goal in less than 4 minutes, and the stress test ended. That was fine with me, though not to brag but I can walk much longer  than that without feeling any stress.  But when I looked at the report, the reason given for stopping the test was patient exhaustion.  Everything has to fit in the model provided in order for our  medical system to function. And I suppose the same applies in  the government, legal and free enterprise systems. I hope there is amnesty for all those previously sentenced to Purgatory, maybe even to Hell.