Does Truth Need Deception?

In some situations, truth definitely requires deception.

In War

One military strategy is that every real operation requires a corresponding deception.

Dudley Clarke, a British officer in World War II is one of the most well-known examples of a military mastermind of deception.

He and his colleagues created numerous deceptions such as fake divisions of soldiers to enhance the illusion of the number of troops. And to mislead the Axis powers, a planned military operation had a corresponding deceptive operation.

One example was the D-Day invasion at Normandy. Clarke and his team created a fake invasion plan to invade at Calais and leaked it. The plan deceived Hitler and helped the success of D-Day.

I’m sure the Nazis used deception as well. But I’m very grateful Allied deception helped win the war.

In Mysteries

A writer who was a master at providing misleading clues is Agatha Christie. In one case, a butler closely scrutinizes a calendar, leading the reader to believe there’s something important about the dates. In actuality, the clue is that the butler is near-sighted.

Sometimes as a writer, I get focused on sprinkling in the clues about the real culprit of the crime, but I forget that it’s just as important to create realistic, logical clues that will deceive my readers.

There’s a saying that the process of writing is its own reward. And in some cases, that had better be true because acclaim or financial gain may not accompany the work.

One of the rewards of writing is the reminder of important lessons (in writing and in life) that I need to learn or apply.

Not In Life

I’m intrigued by the mysteries of history. And I’ve certainly learned valuable lessons about life and writing when truth required deception.

But in real life, I’ve only seen damage and havoc result when deception is proclaimed as truth.

Based on my life experiences and belief system, I accept and even cherish certain things as truth.

And when I perceive dishonesty that destroys, it’s very upsetting to me.

In certain situations, the only recourse is to stand against that dishonesty. But at times, it’s counter-productive or more damaging to fight back.

How do I know when to fight? I ask God what He wants me to do. And then ask him for the courage to do what He wants — whether it is to resist deception by fighting back, or resist by staying silent and letting God fight the battle.

When do you think truth requires deception? And when does it not?

When does truth require deception? And when does it not? Share on X

Joni Vance is an award-winning author of fiction, essay, and poetry. She loves mystery, history, and how God reveals Himself every day.

May God reveal the mystery of His love in your life story.