I was listening to the news today in which a reporter pointed out another glaringly obvious hypocritical statement from a politician. The thought occurred to me:
“Nobody who acts hypocritically cares.”
When I was a teenager, I began to pay attention to hypocritical behavior and words expressed by religious leaders, parents, politicians, teachers and other authorities. I considered it reprehensible and shameful.
As an adult, my opinion has not changed.
What has changed is that people no longer seem ashamed at being labeled a hypocrite. Double speak is common. Condemning someone else for his behavior and then doing the exact same thing is no longer embarrassing. On the contrary, it is celebrated and promoted publicly. Politicians are the most obvious offenders here. Pundits, media, religious leaders, oligarchs and other public figures follow right behind the politicians.
As I listened to the newsperson complaining about the hypocrisy de jour I realized that hypocrisy is now the norm.
There is no need to point it out.
There is certainly no need to complain about it – or worse – get upset about it.
None of these actions make a bit of difference.
It’s like complaining about getting wet when standing outside in a rainstorm. All the whining in the world won’t keep you dry.
I realize that I no longer need to be on alert for hypocrisy. It’s a given.
Instead, I’ll watch for integrity, kindness and honorable actions. These happen quite frequently in the real word, even though they are not given much attention in the public sphere.