"Does my bum look big in this?"
I glance at my friend's rather large behind, clad in tight leather leggings. Do I tell her the truth and risk getting slapped in the face? Or do I lie for the benefit of both of us? I choose the latter.
"Nope!" I reply.
In Pinocchio terms, my nose has just grown a whole inch.

It's a typical situation in which one lies out of tact and politeness. What's the harm? But standing next to my friend, who's purchasing her new (unflattering) leggings, I'm in two minds. How often do I tell these so called 'innocent lies'? Where do we draw the line? After all, a lie is a lie, no matter how inoffensive. Have I committed a terrible sin or simply been human?

My quest to find morality begins in the obvious place: Google. Religious forums saturate the search page. "All must be reminded that lying will damn the soul!" warns BibleForums.org. "The Devil is the father of lies!" spits MyCatholic.com. I'm suddenly feeling like the ultimate sinner. I have gone against one of the very things abominated by God - and who knows how many times? I know honesty is the best policy, but is banishing lying from our lives really that simple?

Of course, not all lying is necessary. Some lies are clearly wrong. They are used to benefit solely the liar, to make them appear better both to others and to themselves. They are simply inessential, and diminish trust between human beings - the glue of our society.

Saying that, not all lies are harmful. Like the lie I told my grandmother, saying that I loved the two headed poncho she knitted me. Rather, it was banished to the depths of my wardrobe, never to be seen again. Various tensions in life such as this can arise when telling a white lie is simply necessary. They are the harmless, 'make life easier' kind of lies. We often tell them reflexively without thinking. We use them to avoid hurting someone's feelings or minimize embarrassment. We’re human. We try to avoid social conflict as much as we can.

Back in the 1930s, Germans lied to Nazis about hiding Jews. In this case, lying to save innocent people was the right thing to do. And in a more mundane example, saying 'you look awful' is not exactly a polite substitute for 'nice to see you'. So perhaps there ARE acceptable times in life to lie after all? Maybe I'm not such a terrible person for telling my friend her bum doesn’t look big, when in fact, it does? Lies are often socially and ethically necessary. In fact, the more I look, the more lying in the appropriate circumstances seems acceptable. As one researcher says, "Lying is an unavoidable part of human nature."

Suddenly, I think I'm a little closer to discovering it - the morality of lying. At least what I think it is. And all of a sudden, I'm not feeling like such a sinner for lying to my friend. I was simply being human. And besides, it's a universal rule! Never tell a girl her bum looks big.