Little White Lies: Is A Lie Always A Lie?

     What do you do when one of your crew sidles up to you at the coffeemaker and quietly asks if you've heard that your chief has been suspended for improper use of public funds? You have heard something, but you're not supposed to discuss it because an accusation is currently under investigation. And your questioner definitely seems to have the wrong information about the reason for the suspension.

     Answer: Fortunately for all of us, accusations are not the same as indictments. Your chief is innocent; you just know it. You have at least a couple of options, and you don't have the luxury of much time to think. You could consider these two options in advance:

1. You could tell a "white lie" and pretend you're surprised to hear the information. That would protect the chief's name, at least temporarily and with this one story-teller.

        People have debated for years about the difference between white lies and plain old lies. Supposedly, a white lie is intended to do good without causing trouble, so it's OK to tell it. Unfortunately, white lies tend to necessitate the support of other lies. And, like any piece of important information that gets attributed to you (true or not), even lily-white lies can take on lives of their own as other people ask you to validate something they've heard. Before long, you've woven a tangled web, indeed.

2. You could say that you have heard something that doesn't completely agree with your questioner's information, and that you hope the chief is all right. Even if he's innocent, this must be a painful time for him. It might also be good to ask your colleague not to pass this information around until something official is announced. Gossip can be terribly damaging to us all, but especially to good people who haven't done anything wrong.

     We're all responsible for what we know. And EMSers are people-readers; they get lied to all the time. They can readily identify someone who routinely tells the truth and who is a careful custodian of people's personal information. They'll respect that in you, if only because it demonstrates how you will regard their personal information when the time comes (and it will come).

     None of us is perfect. This column is not written by anyone smarter than you. Rather, it comes from someone who's made a lot of mistakes. We all need occasional reminders about what's ethical, what makes sense and what's good for people. But one thing is crystal-clear, and if we don't already know it, we probably should: A lie is a lie.

Thom Dick is currently the quality care coordinator for Platte Valley Ambulance Service, a community-owned, hospital-based 9-1-1 provider in Brighton, CO. Contact him at boxcar414@aol.com.