hypocrite: One who assumes a false appearance, one who feigns to be what he is not, or to feel or believe what he does not actually feel or believe; especially a false pretender to virtue or piety.
I was driving past a Walmart parking lot the other day and saw two guys with bullhorns and professionally-printed red “Jesus” signs. I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying, but it sounded like the usual “Repent, the Kingdom is near!” message one would expect from street preachers.
Immediately, I saw anger rise up in me.
First, if you are new to reading my posts, understand that I myself am a Christian. And I too believe the hour is getting late on this Earth. And yes, it would be a good idea for all of us to do a gut check and see where we are with God.
I just believe that yelling at people through bullhorns is generally a bad idea.
The situation reminded me of a pro-life march I participated in some weeks ago. As we were walking together down a main street showing our signs to people in passing cars, WE were heckled by OTHER pro-life individuals via bullhorns! Yes, they were heckling us because our group supposedly was not pro-life ENOUGH! I kid you not!
Where it started
My mother, God rest her soul, was a hypocrite. She was not a bad person, and certainly did her best to raise us, but nevertheless tended to act one way behind closed doors, and another in front of neighbors, church folks, and the like. She was also overprotective and I found myself fighting for my freedom, and doing it in an angry, unproductive way, as teenage boys are prone to do.
Thankfully, for all his faults, my dad was not like this. He knew he was “unworthy,” and would not even take Communion. Instead, he’d walk out the back and take a smoke (Camel’s–unfiltered). He was a World War II vet who saw friends die up close at sea. So I certainly wasn’t going to hold his cigarette smoking against him!
But truth be told, he abdicated much of the child-rearing to my mother, so I shouldn’t have held things against her.
But I did.
So in short, I’ve always hated hypocrisy–and more to the point–hypocrites.
I have friends who specialize in “friendly fire”–habitually criticizing (or “attacking”–depending on how one sees it) men who are technically on the “right” side, but who have failed in some way to “hit the mark.”
It is indeed a strange phenomenon to essentially ignore those who are doing the lion’s share of damage to our society (especially at this critical stage in our history where the actual survival of our nation is at stake)–in favor of going after those who–while flawed even perhaps in a major way–are still a hundred times more valuable to the continuation and even improvement of our way of life–than others who are doing the huge majority of the damage.
But I understand this “friendly fire” outlook.
It’s the same motivation I have experienced, hating my mother for her shortcomings, while ignoring the good she was doing helping to raise her kids, not to mention all of the household work she did to help sustain us until we were adults, and the financial sacrifice of sending us to Catholic school instead of public. Meanwhile, I directed little hatred toward the gang members and drug dealers who were actively working to destroy our neighborhood.
Hatred is irrational like that, and is most often directed toward people close to us. Later in life, if uncorrected, it is transferred to “look-alikes”–flawed religious leaders, politicians, and other authority figures who we have deemed to be worthy of our scorn.
The blind spot
It’s funny–it is so easy for us to see the hypocrisy in others–and yet not see it in ourselves. We are expert at spotting hypocrites! And yet very rarely do we get glimpses into the hypocrite within!
In my adult life, I became a colossal hypocrite! But almost completely undercover, as my mother was. I myself didn’t see it, but it never stopped me from seeing it in others!
But the hypocrisy in me was revealed, and then the circle completed–fittingly, one might say, I was resented for my hypocrisy!
The “fail safe” methods I used in an attempt to overcome my faults “failed me.” I do not want to tell you that my decades of meditation failed to prevent me from seeing my own hypocrisy, but it did. I am a big proponent of prayer and meditation, but as valuable as they are, I suppose we only really see ourselves when we are ready. Perhaps I spent forty years wandering in the wilderness as just prep time (like the Israelites) before being worthy to approach the Promised Land.
I have ended up learning through more conventional ways that I did not expect, such as via spiritual and even physical pain. Pain is quite the learning tool!
So who is the hypocrite? I am the hypocrite!
In the end, WE will be judged on the life WE have lived. My hating of hypocrites has been far worse for me than a mere waste of time. It has put my very SOUL in jeopardy.
My advice to you is simple: Before you point the finger, take a good, hard look at yourself. YOU may just be the prime hypocrite in your own life. Be careful that your jihad is not wrongly motivated, or is pulling you away from living a positive, stable, and productive life.
Keep in mind that others can already see the “fruit on your tree,” or the lack thereof.
Don’t be the last one to find out who YOU are.
Patrick Rooney is the Founder of OldSchoolUs.com. He promotes natural health, success, and freedom during chaotic times. To reach Patrick, email him at info@oldschoolus.com.