Never Lie to a Raven or a cop (or a Judge)

"You are an [awful person], and I will tell everybody.”(Updated from Out West 2.02.25 )

Reading time: About 6 minutes. (Updated 1.15.25 from November 2022)

"You are an [awful person], and I will tell everybody.”

"You are crazy; no one will believe you.”

Beware of those who sit in judgment. Before you Judge someone, judge yourself, for you never lie to a raven.

​ "Love is the absence of judgment," DL XIV

​Getting furious weakens our judgment, and making judgments is a mask for our lies to ourselves.​ So, when rage explodes, it's usually a mask of our lies to ourselves

I was struck cold by L'Oreal, CEO JP Agon’s interview in Forbes recently, where he stated:

“Judgment is something very special. You need to understand and make the right choice, take the right decision. So the capacity for sound judgment is very important…..” Jean-Paul Agon.

—"Boldness in Beauty, Lesson in Leadership at L'Oreal, Forbes March 3, 2024

Initially, this essay was written in November 2022 about a little girl.

However, the certified Transcripts arrived only a few weeks ago, after transcription “impediments” were—— overcome(1)

“I look forward to having coffee with you”—a lawyer

“You’re a violent racist”—a lawyer (“…it is the essence of all prejudice to call its object its cause”(4))

"Above all, avoid lies, especially the lie to yourself. Keep watch on your lie, and examine it every hour, every minute." -F. Dostoevsky

“‘The best-laid plot can injure its maker, and then a man’s perfidy will rebound on itself.”—Jean de la Fontaine

“I don’t lie. I improve on life.”—Josephine Baker

“I don’t lie. I exaggerate.” An art dealer. (many CEOs, too)

So, why do people lie under oath? In court? To an FBI Special Agent (it’s a felony).

To an audience of followers? Why does a lawyer lie?

The secret to catching serial liars is that they do not care if they are caught. So, they are careless twice—before and after. If they had a speck of empathy or shame, they would not lie repeatedly.

There are all types of lies: lies by commission, lies by omission (“A half-truth is a whole lie.”), “white” ones. And then, there are, a few standard deviations away from the mean, lies with impunity; the ones under explicit oath and the ones committed with the implied oath to the truth that a person’s position transmits. Lies can be the “mother tongue” of some, not just politicians, but the people closest to you.

Ravens tell the truth, no matter what you want to hear. Reading “The Raven” again, I knew Poe had misused his raven. That is, a blackbird is a form of poetic racism. No raven would portend despair and hopelessness. In a very old-fashioned way, the raven was saying, "Never again" or, do not lie again, "at no time in the future." Studies show that the Ravens are smart. Really, smart. They do not need certified Transcripts of a lie to know a lie occurred; they just know.

It is well documented: never lie to a raven; they will remember:

Lies are overused in literature and the arts:

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”—Oscar Wilde

“Writing fiction is the act of weaving a series of lies to arrive at a greater truth.”—Khaled Hosseini

“The best-laid plot can injure its maker, and then a man’s perfidy will rebound on itself.”—Jean de la Fontaine

So, why do people lie under oath? In court? To an FBI Special Agent (it’s a felony). To an audience of followers? To an audience in a courtroom?

What type of person is not afraid of the consequences?

Only the person who believes that they are immune from consequences.

The French say “sal caractère.” No, that’s not quite it. What would happen to a group of starlings murmuring? If just one lied to the other?

Shoulder to shoulder, they fly like one, not thousands. One lie, and they all crash. You never see a starling lie. The Danish call it sort sol, black sun. It captures the celestial oddity.

I witnessed a person I know well lie while testifying in a court hearing a year ago. I had seen her tell little lies before, mostly about youthful indiscretions, over dinner in a room filled with people who loved her.

The Theory of Silence.

I kept silent, and it happened again and again. No one ever criticized her; she was beloved. This was her flock, she was a starling, and none of the other starlings wanted to say:” Enough, you’re an adult now, little lies become big lies.” You cannot laugh off some lies, and you cannot recant perjury, especially when there are witnesses on paper or maybe a video, too.

What kind of person risks this?

Someone who has never faced the consequences, the consequence of the whole flock crashing because of one errant starling. That’s why starlings never lie; they care about the flock more than themselves.

Then, in October, again. Why would a judge make up a story? In writing? Then, in person to distract from the one in writing, hoping no reader will notice?

"You are an [awful person], and I will tell everybody.”

“You are crazy; no one will believe you.”

Next steps:

• Do nothing. Just wait. Let the mud settle.

• “Barbecue Sauce.” Ted Lasso.

• “Sometimes you simply have to get out of the way.” Chris Sensei (Aikido)

• “Eventually, all things are known, and few matter.” Gore Vidal

Perjury is not just about lying, it’s about power.

A perjurer says: ”I am more important than you, no one will touch me, I can get away with it and take the truth away from you, at will.” Perjury is a perpetual problem for your reputation, so the FBI makes it a felony to lie to them. Embarrassing and humiliating a perjurer is even better than wasting prosecutorial resources; one can face severe impediments to career progress. Humiliation can foster change with no risk of jail time. Serial denial hurts the perjurer most of all. Dostoevsky was wise—don’t lie to yourself, no one is that important.

Liars, even the ones wearing rank masks when they pretend to take offense, and Dostoyevsky saw it when they accuse you of what they are trying to hide:

"You are an [awful person], and I will tell everybody.”

“You are crazy, no one will believe you.”

F.D.

Liars despise themselves; they fear we will discover their imperfections, the ones where they lie to themselves.

So, before you Judge someone, judge yourself because one ought never to lie to a raven.

From the wind, Shabbat Shalom!

I’ll be back when the wind dies down.

©Philippe du Col, 2025

Nota Bene:

1. Even if you are not a Founding Member, message me with a legitimate purpose, including investigatory research: PhilippeDuCol@proton.me:

2. Absent M. Agon, I am opening my barbecue sauce on June 18, my father’s birthday. I will not be in Paris on June 18th to distribute it.

3. Not a raven, just a man in blue (@NYPDDepComLegal, @dcpi@nypd.org)

4.” It is the essence of antisemitism, as it is the essence of all prejudice to call its object its cause”—Leon Wieseltier on the mask of antisemitism.