Do as I say, not as I do.
Ever catch yourself saying that to your children?
Ever find yourself giving advice to a friend, and NOT following your same beliefs and standards in your own life?
It's all in the name of good old hypocrisy!
Our friendly Wikipedia defines hypocrisy as the act of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have.
So why am I thinking of this?
Simple, I have experienced it on the giving end.
For instance, I will tell my boys not to eat something unhealthy and yet I will dive right into that junk food minutes later. Makes me a hypocrite, does it not?
I have also been on the receiving end.
Friends shelling out their advice, rejecting and refusing to understand some of my actions and in turn, using condescension to ward me off my EVIL path. Yet, a closer glance at their own existence and day to day actions make them least of all the poster children for high virtues and standards. Makes them a hypocrite, does it not?
So what are we to do?
To some extent, we can chalk it up to human nature.
We falter. Imagine that!
That being said, we are also capable of learning, evolving and improving our minds and putting our best foot forward in this world.
I can tell you that it has made me pay closer attention to the LIES I feed myself and most importantly the LIES I feed my children. My word has to mean something. As parents, I would like to think that we are modeling good behaviour, in hope that our children become citizens of society with great integrity and value.
As for my interactions with friends, and family members, I can tell you that I catch myself using my filters more often and am not quick to judge people's actions. I still falter...but I make it a point to work on self-improvement.
Not sure there is any value or room for hypocrisy on our planet, wouldn't you agree?
