Yes, you.
You, the one reading this. No, its not about that other person you think is a hypocite, and it isn't some juicy gossip that i'm gonna drop about someone else.
this is about you.
Oh, and just to be fair, its about me too.
Hypocrite is an interesting word. It come from the greek word - ὑποκρίτης or for those english speakers among us hypokrites - which literally means "I play a part".
Hypocrite means to act.
To pretend.
To perform like some one you are not.
To be counterfeit.
Fake.
You get the picture.
Someone once told me "we all have our hypocrisies" and the very first time i heard it, I wanted him to be wrong (ahhhh sweet self-justification!), but in my heart i knew it was truth.
The interesting (for my twisted mind) angle on this is - why do we all pretend to be the exception? Why do we all justify our own actions and simultaneously refuse to have a shred of compassion for anyone else and their circumstances?
Think about:
- every other driver on the road
- every other parent we see disciplining thier kids
- every waiter/waitress who serves us poorly
- every co-worker who grates us the wrong way (they are so annoying!)
- every friend who makes a mistake
- anyone with a different political view than you
- vegetarians
Ok maybe not vegetarians.
We hold other people to this incredibly high standard that we refuse to hold ourselves to.
Don't get me wrong - there are surely selfish idiots out there, we all know that right?
Oh yea, because the selfish idiots are us. you and me. that, my friends, is our hypocrisy. it is easy to go off on the guy pulling out in front of you that makes you slow down, but when is the last time you cut somebody off? (if the answer is "never" then this blog probably isn't for you.)
The diagnosis is in. We are infected. We are part of the problem.
So how do we cure this hypocrisy? How do we stop the epidemic?
You tell me. After all, you're the hypocrite.
courage,
-davey
2 comments:
Good stuff Davey! Thanks for the kick in the pants! ;)
sure thing.
for me, applying this truth is the hard part because that means i have to put aside my selfishness and pride long enough to actually consider someone else more important than me. "sincere love" as Peter describes it definitely costs us something, but there is no better way to live!
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