A hypocrite is what someone else is, but never who we are.
“Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy is a kind of lie. Hypocrisy may come from a desire to hide from others actual motives or feelings.” (Wikipedia)
Hypocrisy is everywhere in our society.
We see hypocrisy in elected government officials when one party calls the other insincere when they use a tactic that is not to their advantage. Of course that same party used it the last time they were in the majority, but that was different.
We see hypocrisy in the church. A pastor or priest is revealed for some indiscretion, or a prominent lay person is exposed for saying one thing and living another.
The truth is all of us play act some in our lives. We pretend to believe something, or be someone that in reality we are not. But we are blind to it. It is the reason all of those other hypocrites make us so angry because they remind us of the darkness in ourselves.
In the Christian faith, Jesus pointed out hypocrisy in the lives of the religious people, and they didn’t like it one bit (see Luke 11:45-53). He warned all of his followers about being hypocritical.
Transparency and humility are antidotes to hypocrisy. Seeing and admitting inconsistencies in our own life is a start. This is a simpler way to live our lives.
I do not always practice what I expect of others. Do you?
I think I’ll spend time working on my stuff for awhile. I’ve got enough to keep me quite busy, thank you.
Peace be with you.
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