2018 – 3rd Grade National 4th Place Winner

James Long, New York.

 

Truth? Or Deceit?

Well, it’s a hard debate, so I couldn’t decide quickly. But after a long time period of racking my brain molecules, I decided on truth because one time when I was 4 I was supposed to be playing sports but I snuck indoors and played with my LEGO blocks instead. Then, right before my dad got into the yard from the driveway, I went outside and got a baseball and bat and pretended I’d been there forever. But my brother saw me playing LEGO blocks and squealed on me. Then my Dad took away my LeapFrog tablet for a weekend.

Truth is also superior over lies because lies have a lesser effect. It has some effect, but not a very good effect, as demonstrated above. Also, truth can get you out of terrifying problems. Like, if you are framed like my friend Sam was in Kindergarten when another kid named Vaughn whacked my tooth out at recess. Vaughn lied and told Mrs. Trish that Sam punched me in the teeth. But I told the truth and Vaughn got to sit on the side during funtime. See, when you lie you get punished and when you tell the truth you escape the clutches of the temptation to lie.

Truth also helps when you are in mortal peril, like if you are in the army and you got captured and forced to tell your side’s battle secrets/weaknesses. Then they let you go. When you get back to your base and your sergeant asks you if you told the battle secrets. If you lie and say “Nuh uh,” your base will get infiltrated and you will die. But if you tell the truth and say “Uh huh,” your base will set up more safety measures and you save your troop. And so, I conclude truth is more powerful than lies.

 

 

 

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