NGL is a new and quite popular mobile app.
Its letters are an acronym for “Not Gonna Lie,” and the app presumes to offer “a fresh take on anonymity.” According to the creators of the app, “anonymity should be a fun yet safe place to express your feelings and opinions without shame.” In reality, the app has become a breeding ground for insults, slander, and threats. Indeed, people freely express their opinions there, but it is anything but a safe place. But then, with human nature being what it is, what can we expect?
To agree to be kind to one another, we need to realize the depravity of our nature. With very few exceptions, people have no shred of goodness. They use everyone else for their own needs, and the only difference in their behavior toward others depends on what pleases them, without regard for others.
We think that overt hatred and violence happen mainly in movies, and in reality, people are far more restrained. Perhaps they are a little more restrained, but an app like NGL proves that it is only a facade, and given the opportunity, everyone will be at each other’s throats. If there is anything good about apps like NGL, it is that through them we can recognize how bad we are.
It is not only apps, but everything that we create ultimately becomes bad because of our evil nature. Even if we wanted, we could not create anything else. The fact that there are inventions that seem harmless or even good does not mean that they are as they appear to be, but only that the wickedness in them has not been exposed. This exposure, by the way, however difficult, is the first step toward the removal of pestilence.
Even good people are good only because it makes them feel better about themselves, and not because they are selfless in any way. Had they been born with less compassion in their hearts, they would have behaved less kindly toward others. In other words, their kindness does not stem from their kind hearts, but because this is what their selfish wants tell them to do. Granted, this is preferable to people who enjoy bullying, but the motive behind their actions is still selfish, and given the right circumstances, their egoism will show its face.
In conclusion, Not Gonna Lie really does not lie. The question is what we want to do about the truth that it reveals.
Do we want to let human nature lead us to more abuse, pain, distrust, alienation, and their horrific offshoots of depression, violence, substance abuse, and war? Or, do we want to say “Enough!” to our egos and decide together to change our attitude toward each other and rise above our abusive nature?
Now that we know, we have a choice.
