Lies

In Japanese there is the proverb, uso mo hōben 嘘も方便, 'even lying can be necessary.' In political and social life, transparency and truth are highly valued. Yet in our personal lives, we are familiar with such "necessary lies." Lying turns out to be a very complicated part of human life.

Do you agree with the proverb, uso mo hōben? Why or why not? Do you think there is a difference between lying in public life and lying in private life? Is one kind of lie more appropriate than the other? Why? Sometimes we speak of "lying to ourselves." How is this possible?