I had read this line on a bumper sticker and it just stuck with me. It is an extremely brilliant stroke of genius. Whoever thought of this must have an amazing sense of humor as well as an amazing understanding of how our mind works. I can't even begin to tell you how much I have thought about hypocrisy over the years. Honestly, there was a time (when I should not have had this problem given my age at that time, but I did) that I did not even know the meaning of this word. Now, let me start off - I AM A HYPOCRITE!!! There, that's the cat out of the bag. Wait, there's more.........
YOU ARE TOO!!!
Surprised? You shouldn't be. If you have been thinking all this while that you are not a hypocrite, you have been shamelessly misleading yourself. I think everyone is a hypocrite and the sooner you accept this, the better it is for you. Being a hypocrite doesn't really mean that you are a bad person. I believe it's a part of our make-up just like anger, sorrow, joy, etc.
I may have come off a bit strong but I thought that was required to shock the reader. Let me now elaborate why I think so.
Everyone lives with certain principles and values. These are imbibed by the culture that one grows up in. The thoughts, behavior and actions of any individual are molded by several factors and over a period of time that individual adopts and assimilates things that he finds comfort with. I feel that many of us live in a bubble of security of our culture and our surroundings. We are comfortable with that. In school and as we grow up, we are exposed to a lot of education with respect to having an open mind, having unity in diversity and many such things that are aimed at making us a better person and mitigate the differences that exist in our society. We are also successful to a large extent sometimes. However, there are times when we come across something that does not fit in to our lives. If we think about it objectively, it is fair and just but there is a nagging feeling that holds us back in accepting it. I believe this is a case where there is a contradiction; an idea where it is not in sync with the way of your life.
When in the US, I experienced many different cultures from all over the world. For them, I was weird in some cases and vice versa. It is just the perspective that gets changed. Although I try to be straight-forward and honest, there are times when I just can't. My gut doesn't allow me to. I know that at that point, I am not comfortable with that idea although there is nothing really objectionable about it.
In the Indian culture, being an extremely conservative culture it becomes more of an issue. With the age of globalization, everyone knows that geographical distances don't mean much at all. Like many other cultures, the Indian culture has been assimilating ideas from other cultures and it is growing, not in its size but in its complexity. These complex issues give rise to more contradictions to peoples' way of life. Although new ideas seem appealing, they don't gel well with the existing culture.
I will take the example of marriages in India and in particular - Hindu marriages. The astrological match of the horoscopes of the prospective bride and groom, still is an extremely important pre-condition to marriage for a huge majority. Now, many people believe that astrology is a science and I don't mean any disrespect to them but it hasn't been proved to be one. I am not saying that it is humbug but to base a marriage on horoscopes is something that I don't agree with but given so, I don't look down upon or ridicule people who believe in it. If it gives them comfort, good for them. However, the success of a marriage that has been ratified by a horoscope is very much prone to the usual problems of a marriage. There are people who are scientists and doctors and engineers whose life is based around proven theories, facts, numbers and laws; who believe in astrology although it is not an exact 'science' per se (even the people who believe in it agree with this). There are some who want to just make sure the horoscopes match although they don't really believe in it because they are afraid not to have checked it. The fear of not doing something that has been traditionally accepted is astronomical.
Indians complain of racism in other countries or secondary treatment shown to them by people in other countries. I find that quite ridiculous and the most hypocritical of all things. Yes, racism does exist and I don't deny it's existence but Indians, especially shouldn't be talking about discrimination. Hell, there is discrimination in India based on caste, religion, language, community, region, sub-caste, etc. I don't even understand all these. I don't discriminate but I don't find a problem in differentiating. I love being in an environment where there is a splendid mix of different cultures. I find that completely exhilarating to learn from others and immerse myself in different cultures. However, when this differentiation leads to negativity and disrespect, that's where the problem starts. If I look at Maharashtrian Brahmins in India, there are Karhade (I am a Karhade), Kokanastha, Deshastha (there's Rigvedi and Yajurvedi in this), Gaudh Saraswat and there's another kind which I recently found out and I don't even remember it's name. There's different types of Marathas as well and out of that, if I am not mistaken, the '69 Kuli' are considered to be the 'upper class' as such. A Punjabi friend of mine had once told me that there is a differentiation in Punjabis as well viz. Jats and Papas. In Muslims also there are different castes and sub-castes and my dear friend, Aamir once informed me that the co-existence of these different sub-sects is not easy like any other religion. Indians discriminate and look down upon people from different regions of the country. There are certain stereotypes and I am not here to discuss whether the stereotypes are correct or not or where and why and how that hatred has established itself. Now mind you, not all Indians are like that but a huge majority are and there is a huge amount of ignorance among Indians about the different cultures in the country.
While working at the Westin Waltham-Boston hotel, a guest approached me on a Sunday morning to ask about the Churches in the vicinity for Sunday Mass. When listing the several Churches in the area, as I mentioned a Church of a particular sect (I don't remember which exactly), the guest says, "Those guys are not Christians". If I may, he was a Catholic living in a Protestant country. Go figure!
Indians complain of racism in other countries or secondary treatment shown to them by people in other countries. I find that quite ridiculous and the most hypocritical of all things. Yes, racism does exist and I don't deny it's existence but Indians, especially shouldn't be talking about discrimination. Hell, there is discrimination in India based on caste, religion, language, community, region, sub-caste, etc. I don't even understand all these. I don't discriminate but I don't find a problem in differentiating. I love being in an environment where there is a splendid mix of different cultures. I find that completely exhilarating to learn from others and immerse myself in different cultures. However, when this differentiation leads to negativity and disrespect, that's where the problem starts. If I look at Maharashtrian Brahmins in India, there are Karhade (I am a Karhade), Kokanastha, Deshastha (there's Rigvedi and Yajurvedi in this), Gaudh Saraswat and there's another kind which I recently found out and I don't even remember it's name. There's different types of Marathas as well and out of that, if I am not mistaken, the '69 Kuli' are considered to be the 'upper class' as such. A Punjabi friend of mine had once told me that there is a differentiation in Punjabis as well viz. Jats and Papas. In Muslims also there are different castes and sub-castes and my dear friend, Aamir once informed me that the co-existence of these different sub-sects is not easy like any other religion. Indians discriminate and look down upon people from different regions of the country. There are certain stereotypes and I am not here to discuss whether the stereotypes are correct or not or where and why and how that hatred has established itself. Now mind you, not all Indians are like that but a huge majority are and there is a huge amount of ignorance among Indians about the different cultures in the country.
While working at the Westin Waltham-Boston hotel, a guest approached me on a Sunday morning to ask about the Churches in the vicinity for Sunday Mass. When listing the several Churches in the area, as I mentioned a Church of a particular sect (I don't remember which exactly), the guest says, "Those guys are not Christians". If I may, he was a Catholic living in a Protestant country. Go figure!
I don't think hypocrisy always manifests itself in a big way. It can even manifest in the very small things of life. People who believe in equality in society will shun away from getting acquainted with someone of a lower strata but at other times preach about how the social inequality is really the bane of society. It is very interesting to observe people behave this way.
I have seen people preach to others how taking a lot of tension about the future is not healthy and very much stupid but they themselves will worry endlessly when its their turn. There are such small things that occur all the time.
I think that contradictions that will challenge the way of our life will be a part of our life and it makes us think. Perhaps at these times, we realize that we are not as open-minded as we had thought? Perhaps we are hypocrites in this particular context only? Whether we become a hypocrite and say something and do something else is a different issue. I am not saying that we always act like a hypocrite but the thoughts do enter our mind.
I have experienced several times such contradictions and there were times, like I mentioned above, that my gut feeling didn't allow me to do something. Now, these were all personal matters so it doesn't matter so much. Hypocrisy will really create a fuss when it concerns others and you hurt them because of it. They lose respect for you and if you have some pride, you will lose that too when nobody gives a damn about what you say.
This is one of those observations in my life that I find the most interesting because of its sheer complexity and ambiguity. It is not easy to have a common standard for everything. You surprise yourself when you yourself have double-standards for something.
Please award yourself this Certificate of Hypocrisy if you are brave enough to admit that you are a hypocrite, even to the slightest extent:
(Please change the order as per your level of hypocrisy)
(I do not claim ownership of this certificate. All credit goes to the original creator)
(I do not claim ownership of this certificate. All credit goes to the original creator)
