Two-Face

Hypocrisy. What is it? According to Wikipedia, Hypocrisy (or being a hypocrite) is the act of opposing or not purporting a belief or behavior while holding the same beliefs or behaviors at the same time, or vice versa. That is, the act of saying one thing and doing the exact opposite, or saying you believe one thing, when in reality, you believe the exact opposite or when your actions speak contrary to your professed views.

Wow…that’s a long definition. Rather convoluted and confusing…so I’ll sum it up by saying, “Do as I say, not as I do.” Succinct. Why is this an issue for me today? Well…this isn’t a new issue really, not for me or for anyone else, for that matter. Ancient Buddhist writings contain stories of a hypocritical man. Islamic teachings in the Qur’an have passages about this. Even the Bible contains passages and stories about hypocrites (see parts of the Book of Job, as well as New Testament dealings between Jesus and the Pharisees).

So…what is this inalienable truth called “hypocrisy”? Is it some sort of human characteristic that is ingrained in us like compassion or motivation? Is it something that can actually be overcome in ones life? What all makes this worthy of writing about?

Countless times while watching the news or reading about things, you are confronted with examples of hypocrisy: from the PETA folks who throw paint (probably not ecologically “Green” in an of itself) on furs worn by socialites (never considering that these same socialites have insured the coat and will just end up replacing it with another one, thereby killing MORE animals than the original coat), to “tree hugging” (sorry, can’t come up with a better term for this right now) individuals who hammer nails and other metal objects into trees in the hopes that, when being cut down, the saw blade will catch on these items and end up maiming those doing their job. This extends far beyond every day people…think about politicians. How many times do we hear about a politician professing one thing and hearing later on that they actually believe the exact opposite?

So, I ask again…is hypocrisy just a human trait? I hope not. I know that I, too, am guilty of this…but it’s something worth working on…to beat the stupidity of it all. I say, be true…always. Be yourself. Say what you believe and stand behind it. Don’t badmouth other people simply because you can…it only makes you look bad.

Anyway…I had a really great weekend and want to end on a high note: the weather yesterday was just awesome. I ended up going for a hike (my second in as many weeks), and got a little sunburned in the process, but it was well worth it in the end. This weekend promises to be even better than the last…so, until then…