#hypocrisy #honesty #HonestHypocrisy #human #advantages #SmallBusiness #cheating
Is there such a thing as honest hypocrisy?
Consider this Tower of Power lyric: “I can’t stand to see the slaughter, but still I eat the meat. I can’t stand dishonest people, but still sometimes I cheat.”
Or, this advice from a small business owner to a friend considering starting a business: “I know you’re an honest person, but if you don’t cheat a little, you won’t survive.”
By such standards, honest hypocrisy might be defined as being honest about one’s hypocrisy.
But, as humans who want to do the right thing all the time, one may face times when “the right thing” may not be the best thing to do at the time.
In the above examples, “the slaughter” is ordinary meat production. Animals are raised specifically to be eventually killed for their meat. Of course, no one really likes the idea of killing animals, but even in nature, one animal kills another to feed itself.
Also, it’s human nature to want an advantage, even when you may have been told that taking that advantage is wrong.
Look at demographics as an example. In recent decades, certain demographic characteristics gave some people an advantage over others in the job market.
As much as many politicians want to take away those demographic advantages today, they are still a reality. Those who hire people often use them.
Applicants who possess those advantages often include a photo to prove they match certain demographic groups. Of course, they also have to be qualified for the jobs they are seeking.
Cheating on one’s taxes, even a little, is against the law. But, there are some parts of the tax code that some may consider “wrong,” with respect to struggling small businesses, or even struggling individual taxpayers.
They see it as right to cut through that “wrongness” by cheating a little.
No one really gets hurt by such action, the rationale goes.
But, when cheating becomes a way of life, as with some with all the advantages in the world to begin with, it can rile “honest” hypocrites.
Because we are human, complete honesty at all times can be illusive. That’s why the term “white lie” came into being.
Do you want to know how honest you really are? Ask yourself: If I found a $50 bill on the ground in a crowded area, what would I do?
Would I put it in my pocket, as in, “finders keepers, losers weepers?”
Or, would I ask people in the area whether they had dropped it, knowing that anyone can lie and say it’s theirs?
It may depend on your personal financial situation. It may depend on how you would feel if you had dropped it. Or, it may depend on how guilty you would feel if you’d kept it.
Most of us grapple with life decisions all the time. None of us is perfect, but most of us consider ourselves virtuous.
Being an honest hypocrite may not always make a person feel good, but, sometimes, it may feel like the right thing to do at the time, as long as no one else gets hurt.
So, as you go through life, be as honest as you can. Try not to be a hypocrite.
Peter
HONEST HYPOCRISY
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