We've been talking about free will. It is a God given gift to each of us, to have the right to choose how we will act. Part of the equation for free will is to have choices to choose between, because you cannot choose if there is only one alternative permissible. This is why temptation has been tolerated in the universe by the God who made it, to allow alternatives to be presented in order that you really do have a choice to make. This is true for all of us, and also all the aliens.

It is your choices that uplift or condemn you. You chose to murder. You chose to steal. And so forth. Yes, you may have been tempted, as Satan tempted Eve in the garden, but if you choose to do wrong, even though tempted to do so, you are held accountable. This allows for undercover police and other operatives freedom to tempt you, and see how you'll react. To see if you will take the bait, so to speak.

I understand these principals. I have free will. I will be tempted. I must choose to do right in spite of being tempted, or I will be held accountable.

But what about the manipulator, the tempter, the persuader? Do they not also bear responsibility for their actions? The answer can be found in the garden, for the snake who tempted Eve to eat of the fruit, even though he himself did not eat it, was punished too. Thus the husband who planned his wife's murder is held accountable, even if someone else was paid to do it. And accountable even if they failed to do it, just for the planning of it.

Those with the power and intention to mislead, to cause others to stumble, must be held accountable. This is true for corporations who lie to their customers about the safety of their products. It's true for governments who lie to their citizens in order to remain in power, or lie to their citizens to gain their cooperation in an endeavor they would never agree with otherwise. And it is true for aliens in this world too.

The more I learn about this universe and the way it operates, the more I see the manipulation used. I knew every advertisement had an agenda, but also every show on television, every film, every newscast, every article, social media, the Internet, ALL of it is contrived to try to make you think a certain way, buy a certain thing, accept a specific agenda and feel good about doing it. And none of the agendas are in agreement!

This is very true with political parties as well as alien factions who have opinions about the way we work, play and live. Do this! Don't do that! Try this! Be happy! Get mad! Believe this! Don't believe that! It is frankly exhausting to try to figure out what is true and what is a lie. What is fact or fiction.

To me, it is a simple thing to speak truth. If I understand the facts of something, I would want to help others understand it too, not mislead them. I can't think of an instance in which my lying helps anyone but myself, so I don't seek to lie; it is a selfish thing to do. I may not tell everything I know to everyone who seeks to know it, but I don't typically lie. Why? Because it is wrong.

I have hidden truth as a kindness. If I know someone on their deathbed admitted something to me, if they asked me to keep quiet, I would honor that request as long as my silence didn't hurt anyone worse than not knowing. That's true of any secrets. If my telling would put someone at risk, I wouldn't endanger them. I'd keep my mouth shut.

There are moral choices to be made in the manipulation of others. Is it for your personal gain? Then it's wrong, akin to stealing. Does it make the world a better place? Then it's for altruistic reasons.

But what if is to satisfy curiosity, to experiment, to evaluate? Again, that would not be okay, because your harm the person you lie to to gain material advantage or information. Unethical scientists fall into this category.

If you are a liar and manipulator as a constant pattern in your life, you've lost perspective. You ignore the power of control you seek and justify yourself by blaming the vicitim. It is wrong. You are not doing it for the betterment of anyone but yourself, so people do as you say, think what you want. Having puppets do your bidding is unworthy. It takes away their freewill. It's wrong.

And yet that is happening all around us. This faction or that faction lies to us and seeks support to help enact their vision for us, and it is tearing us apart. Don't let it! We can resist them but we must be discerning and not become compliant to something that is wrong.

NDA, non-disclosure agreements, are used all to often to hide information. You must ask yourself to whose benefit is it? Are we better off knowing or not knowing? Peace of mind is fine, but it is an all encompassing excuse liars use to protect themselves at society's detriment. I may be uneasy hearing truth, but I need to hear it to protect myself, or my people. Whistle blowers may be vilified in the present, mostly by those who are exposed, but admired through history's lens. Do what is right, not what is easy.

Persuasion is a debate, an opportunity to present ideas and defend them. Manipulation is calculating, designed to gain compliance using unfair, uneven tactics that highly favor you over your lesser, naiive, younger, unaware opponent. Persuasion gives all the pertinent facts before trying to convince. Manipulation only gives convenient facts but hides many truths first, or outright lies as they convince. Manipulation is what pedophiles, lawyers and criminals do. Persuasion is what patriots, good leaders and evangelicals do. There is a difference.

Do unto others that which you would have them do unto you. Jesus said that. And it's the best advice there is on the subject. Persuade others, don't manipulate them. It really is that simple, and that hard.