It sucks to be a hypocrite

I really hate it when I condemn the actions of others, then unwittingly become part of those I condemned. It seems as though being too venomous about certain life choices can have some bizarre way of putting the person in that very situation. Then again, maybe its my own perception of it.

I know this also happens to other people, and I share their grief and can empathize with the self-loathing that results. Nobody wants to be their own personal nemesis. It can take the shape of many forms; the safe sex advocate getting somebody pregnant/getting an STD, the person against euthanasia asking the Vet to put their dying dog out of its misery, or the rabid environmentalist finding wicked joy and utility in a nice big truck.

These days, I often wonder if we value people who cling to their principles more than those who try to correct their own mistakes. Much of the self-loathing comes from the ‘how could I let this happen to ME?’ but folks lose sight of the fact that everybody makes mistakes, even experts, advocates, and the wise.

One may view it as hypocrisy, I suppose, but others call this sort of thing karma, and it usually ends up making you wiser.

Who knew karma could be so expensive!

It seems to me that real, hardcore hypocrites never seem to get to the self-loathing stage.

A college chaplain once told me that he was much more concerned about the spiritual status of people who view themselves as being without sin than about the condition of those who commit sins, feel remorse, accept forgiveness, and try to do better.