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What it Doesn’t Say

I had a conversation about this among my live streaming followers as I drew it. Someone said, so you can’t trust anyone’s promises? My response was to point out the wording, “when you MAKE someone promise”.  This is about coercing a promise, like coercing a confession.  When you do that, you are setting them up to lie to you.

Involuntary Vows

When the vow is voluntary, as it should be in say a wedding, then you should expect they are not under duress or being coerced and will abide by the vow.  Of course if it is an arranged marriage against the will of one of those betrothed, or a shotgun wedding due to pregnancy or some other supposed scandal, then it is by it’s very nature coerced and the vow is suspect.  That doesn’t mean the person is going to cheat or lie or anything else. It simply means the vow is probably getting in the way of them being honest, not helping them to be.

It’s something to watch out for in our own behavior when we try to get people to be honest with us.


Drawing and commentary © 2016 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com

Quote by Molly Ringwald, 1968 – not dead yet, American actress and author (When It Happens To You, 2012)

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