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Over the course of the Good Witch movies you’ll notice that Cassie never lies, but does evade or make creative use of the truth. A woman after my own heart in that regard. She doesn’t believe in lying, but she does take some liberties.
I’ve discussed this idea before and while some people agree, many rail against it. Personally, I don’t think omission is lying. According to the rules I live by, a lie is telling someone something untrue. If you’re not telling, you can’t be lying. Creative use of the truth falls into the same category. If nothing you’re saying is untrue, then it isn’t a lie.
For Cassie, she evades some things to maintain privacy or to get people to think on their own. Her creative uses of truth offer the same results. She can reply to someone and never actually answer the question. It’s actually quite a skill to be able to string together bits of truth that are barely related to the question.
Some people think that this is just devious and wrong, but I disagree. Lying is wrong. Oddly, people will fight over how bad evasion and creative truth use are, but they’ll claim that “white” lies and outright lying are acceptable, or, if you can believe it, necessary. It doesn’t make much sense.
I actually admire Cassie’s ability to use truth so creatively. More often than not she says things in such a way as to allow people to believe in possibility and their own ability. Yes, she allows them to believe that she’s a witch offering them magic, but in the end they always come to see that she was simply gearing them into finding their own truth and greatness. She never uses evasion or creative truth with the intention to harm, and I think that really makes all the difference.
