Society shapes us from the moment we are born — through school, culture, family, traditions, expectations, and the rules we’re taught to follow without ever questioning them. Many of these teachings help us, but some of them hold us back, limit our potential, or create illusions that people accept as “truth” simply because everyone else believes them.
We all grow up hearing things that are supposed to guide us, but later in life we discover that they were incomplete, misleading, or completely false. What feels “normal” is not always right. What everyone repeats is not always true. And what society expects from us is not always what leads to happiness or success.
That’s why I want to open this discussion.
In your experience, what do you think is the biggest lie society teaches us — and how did you discover it wasn’t true?
Your answer can be about:
- Life
- Happiness
- Success
- Relationships
- Education
- Work
- Human nature
- Anything you’ve learned through experience
.
There is no right or wrong answer.
Just share the truth you have discovered in your own life.
What they don’t lie about would be a shorter list if there is even anything that isn’t a lie. For me the biggest lie is keeping us in the dark about what we are all really capable of a person’s true abilities all for selfishness and greed. I really don’t know how the majority of the elite can sit in there oversized mostly unused homes while so many are homeless. I’m not saying that they are all like that but a good chunk of them. Here is another one that’s a pretty big bunch of lies. The so-called American dream of 2.5 kids and a white picket fence house the wife/mom stays home tending to the house and children while the husband/dad goes to work. Then the kids all go to college to get the “better job” so they can get the same Ameri can dream. but the truth of the matter is what we are really doing is being in debt for the rest of your life for student loans because they make it ridiculously expensive to go to school and if you do go, they are only teaching more lies. Take being a doctor aa lot of them know that what they were taught was BS and still choose to keep people sick and yes, I did say keep people sick why because there is too much power and money in it. If your dream is to be in debt and watch people you love suffer unnecessarily then America has you covered. One more is the big “seeing is believing” what a crock of crap that is okay I better stop because I think this is borderline between complaining and expressing. I don’t know about you, but I am not letting my brain take any more punches because of lies I was told was truth. I choose the real truth. and I think i might have gone off topic a little. I sure could keep going but need to take a minute to just breathe.
I do agree with you on education causing debt that seems like it never gets paid off. My debt is 95.000 dollars. But while in college I became aware that what we learn from child hood shapes our lives to not really what we want but what we are deemed to do for society.
As children we are told what to do and to follow their rules. If we don’t or we are different then we are punished for it,
If you go to college you can make more money and have more debt. People that don’t want to follow those rules seem to feel inferior to others sometimes causing mental illness.
While working on a journalism and communications degree, they teach you to talk about both sides of a problem and let people make their own decisions. However, watching the news they are supposed to be unbiased, but you can tell what side they are on with
politics and voting. it’s hard to think that we are all structured.
If we think of everything we buy online or in stores, usually someone probably talked us into buying it. Are we really free? That is a good question.
There are so many things that fit into this answer but I think that the two biggest ones are about going to college to be successful and or working a 9-5 and putting in overtime will get you where you need to be. There are ways to be successful that we are never told unless someone like Luck Scout comes along. Just saying 🤷🏾♀️
Hmm. Society sold us the idea that sucess only comes through school, forgetting that skills, creativity, and determination build just as many success stories.
True, this utterably the most honest truth I have heard so far
You’re right.
Being literate is something good and can help you overcome many situations and even make you start a business after graduation, but what the society forgets is that people can do other things in life apart from education,things like self employment where you start your own business and be your own boss and even employ other people who don’t have jobs thus empowering employment since many people are jobless and don’t have things to do out there.
The society encourages us to do good to others whereby the same people who you’ve helped won’t help back and start disrespecting you,so we must treat people equally, the energy that is given is the same energy that should be given out.
That a person’s mind and emotions can be changed i think.
Society has brain wash people the truth is 99% of people are phone zombies and are being programmed by a screen,plus work now get rewarded later,money drives so much of what we do daily.
From childhood, we’re fed the idea that grades, jobs, wealth, social status, and achievements define who we are. If you don’t hit those “marks,” you’re told you’re failing. If you chase them, you’re told you’ll be happy.
The truth? Your value is intrinsic, not transactional. Happiness, fulfillment, creativity, and purpose often exist outside society’s narrow metrics. Many of the richest, most famous, or highest-ranking people are still unfulfilled. Meanwhile, ordinary people pursuing passion, connection, and meaning often experience richer lives.
Society sells you the ladder, but it rarely tells you the ladder might lead somewhere empty.
That going to school is the way of becoming rich
One of the biggest lies society teaches is that following the conventional path, go to school, get a job, work hard, and you’ll automatically achieve success and happiness, guarantees fulfillment. In reality, true satisfaction often comes from self discovery, personal growth, and creating your own path rather than relying on a predefined formula.
In my experience, one of the biggest lies society has taught me is that success and happiness come from constantly keeping up with others. I discovered it wasn’t true through life itself, real peace came when I stopped comparing my journey and started walking in my own purpose. Fulfillment showed up in growth, gratitude, faith, and meaningful connections, not in titles or material things. Once I learned that, life became more authentic and truly rewarding. 🙏🏽
A degree guarantees a great career”: Overlooks skills, passion, and alternative paths, creating pressure(Big-lie).
I completely agree! They tell you to work hard, often this theory only leads to working hard just to survive.
I am living proof of that. The debt is astronomical compared to the guarentee of any job.
Thank you for your kind contribution, thanks to Vahid and the team for giving us privilege to spot the big lie.
The biggest lie society teaches us is often debated, but one perspective is that it’s the idea that success is solely based on hard work and merit. This myth overlooks systemic inequalities, privilege, and luck, which play a huge role in determining outcomes. It can lead to feelings of inadequacy and shame when people struggle, making them believe they’re failing personality
- Life becomes easy for the educated. It definitely isn’t easy because you’re expected to learn till your death bed. There’s so much pressure on the educated to keep learning, improving and that’s frustrating.
- Happiness comes when you’re rich, but there are many instances where the rich are in more depressed than the poor.
- Success is respected for certain careers while some are deemed worthless. As long as what you do is convenient and sustainable that’s success to me.
- Relationship with a younger guy isn’t ideal and won’t last long. As long as it is God’s will, the lady is ready to submit, there’s love and mutual respect it will thrive.
- Education is the only pathway to success. It is one of the many paths to success. You just have to discover yours.
- Working a white collar job is the real job. But these days remote workers, freelancers are more happy, fulfilled and earn better than those working 8-4/9-5.
Thanks you for this wonderful question.
The Society runs on people not knowing what they want out of life.”
If most people knew what they wanted, they wouldn’t choose a mindless career working a 9-5 job stuck inside all day. No.
They’d do work they enjoyed and prioritize sunshine and fresh air. But we don’t because the system is designed to be complicated and cause you to feel conflicted.
So many chaos and lies. The Society has cause so many damages and lies. But we hope for better days ahead
Being told that if you don’t go to college or university you won’t get far in life without it absolutely rubbish plenty off people who have made it in life(which ever that means suppose depends on how you answer it whatever works best for you
God bless you for this comment.. they have thrown so many lies to us for a very long time..
They prayers is we hope for better days ahead.. one day our light will shine
That is a fantastic answer. I don’t think we ever fully figure it out but that’s the adventure of it all. I think so even though I have to remind myself that sometimes. I really like your post straight up and so true