Hypocrisy

Most, if not all people are hypocrites since we constantly criticize what we deem to be bad behavior, even though most people do bad things at some point in their lives.

What is Hypocrisy / Who is a Hypocrite ?

A person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, esp. a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.

The act of criticizing others for behavior which one engages in as well, or in other words, not practising what you preach.

A person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, esp. one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements.

A classic example of a hypocritical act is to denounce another for carrying out some action while carrying out the same action oneself.

Hypocrisy = Beliefs - Actions

If Beliefs = Actions than Hypocracy = Zero

The degree of hypocrisy one possesses is equal to the absolute value of the difference between their beliefs and actions

Humans have a natural tendency to keep their hypocrisy at zero. Therefore, they have a desire to keep their beliefs and actions equal.

when hypocrisy equals anything other than zero, an anxiety will exist inside the individual. These imbalances can linger for years in honest objective people and only seconds for bias rationalizers. Why is this? It is due to one's honesty and objectivity when evaluating their initial internal feeling following a hypocritical imbalance.

Everyone wants their hypocrisy to equal zero. Some do it by changing their beliefs so that they are equal to their actions. However, one should change his actions so that they equal your beliefs. Beliefs should be arrived at objectively, and should be a relatively independent variable.

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A hypocrite is someone who:

(1) advocates a standard,

(2) publicly applies that standard to himself,

(3) fails to meet that standard, and

(4) hides or denies his failure.

All Four Elements are required, yet hypocrisy is often confused with Element # 3 alone.

Failing to meet one's own standards is not hypocrisy.

Thus, a person who routinely confesses to being a sinner would not be a hypocrite. He advocates certain standards, yet admits to falling short.

Falling short of a standard should be no bar to advocating a high standard, so long as one is open about his own shortcomings.

A man, who fails to meet his own standards, rather than being a hypocrite, is often the best advocate of a different course of action.

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Types of Non-Hypocrites

"Tautological Rationalizers" are not hypocrites because their beliefs and perceptions of reality conform to support their own desires and imperfections. They can not be hypocrites because their beliefs and perceptions of reality are rationalizations for their actions and are without objectivity. When a state of hypocrisy arises, tautological rationalizers conform their beliefs around their actions to eliminate contradiction, rather than conforming their actions around their beliefs.

"Devoted Believers'' actions never contradict their beliefs. They are completely devoted to what they believe. Their beliefs and perceptions of reality are not rationalizations for their own actions. Their beliefs and perceptions of reality are the result of either objective logic, blind faith or a combination of the two. Regardless of the source of their beliefs, their beliefs and actions are without contradiction.

Types of Hypocrites

Honest External hypocrites: Their stated beliefs contradict their actions. However, their stated beliefs are consistent with their actual internal beliefs. Therefore they are also honest internal hypocrites. They have strong convictions but do not always follow through. Causes for this type of hypocrisy will be discussed later.

Dishonest External hypocrites: Their stated beliefs contradict their actions and their stated beliefs are not consistent with their actual beliefs. They often have weak convictions, and it is possible for them to be non-hypocritical on an internal level.

Honest internal hypocrites: Their internal beliefs contradict their actions. Their internal beliefs remain constant despite their contradicting actions. They are honest with themselves, and strive not to conform their beliefs around their own desires, actions, or imperfections.

Dishonest internal hypocrites: stated beliefs are consistent with actions but actual internal beliefs are not. They are often people pleasers with weak convictions.

What causes one to be an honest hypocrite?

Uncertainty of Beliefs: If you are not 100% certain in what you believe, then your actions are not likely to be consistent with your beliefs 100% of the time. A conservative interpreter of reality is seldom 100% certain about anything. This uncertainty can cause one to be hypocritical at times.

Carnal Desires: These are inherent human desires that often cause one to act on what the flesh desires, rather than what one believes to be the right action.

The difficulty level of the belief system: If one's belief standards of right and wrong are higher than what is humanly possible, then their actions are obviously not going to be consistent with their beliefs.

How should one go about obtaining a belief system?

One should do their best to objectively perceive Reality for what it is. One should do their best to objectively perceive Truth for what it is. One should do their best to objectively perceive Morality for what it is.

Once you obtain a belief system in this manner, your perception of reality will be as close to actual reality as you can make it. If your beliefs are humanly impossible after this evaluation, then you will have to settle for being an honest hypocrite!

I would rather be an honest hypocrite than lie about my imperfections.