Self-deception may be the worst kind of deception there is.
Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of ways to be deceived, and all can result in grievous errors and long-term consequences that cannot be undone. The lies of a family member, partner or close friend can be exceedingly painful to discover. The lies of religious leaders or respected teachers can be devastating to one’s faith and deeply discouraging to deal with.
No, it’s not the degree of pain it causes that makes self-deception so awful, it’s the difficulty we have exposing it.
