“The true Hypocrite is the one who
ceases to perceive his deception, and is the one who lies with sincerity.”
These
perceptive words were recorded by André
Paul Gide, the well respected and prolific French author, humanist, moralist,
and Nobel Laureate in Literature, in 1947.
In his observation, he clearly identified that the two fundamental
factors that are the trademarks of all hypocrites are distorting the truth, and using any means to
justify their beliefs.
The term hypocrite was
originally derived from the ancient Greek word ‘hypokrisis’ meaning ‘play
acting’. It refers to the act of using a false appearance of truthful behavior
while actually concealing the true intent, especially in regard to moral and religious
behavior. In effect, it is a deliberate attempt to deceive others, by pretense
or sham, into believing a fact that is blatantly untrue. Like the actor on
stage, the hypocrite seeks to gain approval by saying and doing that which is expected
of them, rather than what they really believe is right and just. Their deep
desire is to gain acceptance and approval, and to do so they are willing to do
whatever necessary, including being inconsistent and duplicitous, to achieve and
to hold the attention. They have no hesitation to claim knowledge they do not possess,
nor loyalty to a principle without having it, nor to holding positions beyond
their grasp, and to experiences beyond their capacity, in order to impress
others or gain approval.
The
very worst kind of hypocrite is the one who does not believe that he is a
hypocrite but instead functions under a cloak of honesty and goodwill. But all
hypocrites will go to great lengths to declare their honesty and
trustworthiness, even when they know they are not so. They spend their lives
trying to deceive, betray, connive and cheat others in order to justify and
reinforce their own needs. They search out other people’s mistakes and
willingly point them out at every opportunity, not so much to correct them, but
as a way to excuse and conceal their own weaknesses.
They
are proficient in casting accusations on others while firmly dismissing or
excusing any of their own wrongdoing. They are experts at pointing to the
failings of others and will even concoct false claims with the sole intent to
embarrass them, while always projecting the image of blamelessness on themselves.
They are keen to make up, and offer solutions, but very rarely practice what
they preached. They will often choose to go to great lengths to defend their
actions, and will not hesitate to pass the blame on to anyone else.
Although
hypocrisy may present itself in a variety of conflicting ways, but the fundamental
intent of all these actions are meant to minimize and look down at others, even
as the hypocrite tries to conceal his own weaknesses and flaws. These are the
commonest:
-It can take the form of a Moral Double Standard
by professing a belief in something and then acting in a manner contrary to
that belief. They will willingly criticize others for committing a certain act
even as they show no hesitancy or guilt in doing the same.
-Or
it might present as Moral Duplicity, the commonest form of hypocrisy,
where the individual claims to be honorable in his motives, while being fully
aware of its falsehood. This behavior is so prevalent in the current society to
render it a habit, where a person displays outward support while harboring deep
resentment.
-And
then there is Moral Weakness, a moral disconnection between what he believes
to be correct and appropriate, and yet continues to choose the wrong option.
They
all have the common feature of professing belief and faith in something, and
then knowingly acting in a manner that was contrary their own beliefs.
Examples
of this behavior abound in every area of human endeavor, but none so much as in
the area of religious beliefs. Both the Holy Bible and the Koran are replete
with examples as well as admonitions of hypocrites, and both Jesus Christ
and the Prophet Muhammed reserved their harshest condemnations for the
sin of hypocrisy. They openly condemned all hypocrites as actors who prefer to
act on a stage rather than trying to get to know their God. Their false
behavior was clearly demonstrated in the Book of Isaiah, 29:13, in the following
comment:
“The Lord says:
These people who come to me with their mouths,
and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship
of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
And in the Holy Koran in Surah
Al-Baqara:
“When
they meet those who believe, they say: ‘We Believe.’ But when they are alone
with their evil ones, they say: ‘We are really with you, we were only jesting,”
But
even more distressing is the fact that throughout the ages, the constant use of
deliberate hypocrisy at all levels, has always been an aggressive weapon, and the
major stumbling blocks preventing the better understanding and acceptance among
all the different religions and beliefs in the world. This single fact is especially
relevant with regard to the many different Christian sects, where, even as they
all declare obedience to the teachings of Jesus Christ, yet they
continue to concoct endless stories and conflicts designed to discredit one, in
favor of the other. They all profess undying allegiance to their Christian
faith, yet all the while completely ignoring what Jesus Christ himself,
in Matthew 7:3, reminded them of
their behavior when he observed:
“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye,
And pay no attention to the beam in your own eye?”
It would however
be wrong to assume that hypocrisy is limited to those who deliberately use it
for personal gain. In fact, it is so deeply ingrained in the human psyche, and
in the very framework of society itself, to render it a ‘learned instinctual
behavior’. We all, knowingly or otherwise, say and do things at times which
later on we find out is not in keeping with what we believe. Human nature is
such that in our desire to conform and be accepted, we tend to automatically reflect
the group thinking, even when they do not coincide with our core beliefs. In
addition, since much of human behavior is driven by emotional responses, then
when this coincides with fact, emotion will prevail. Few of us will deny that
we are likely to pass judgment on people for actions that we ourselves are guilty
of, not so much to condemn the person, but to conform with the needs of others.
These so-called Benign Hypocrisies can be as
destructive as any of the other kinds, and at times, more so, because of their
relative ease of general acceptance.
Although it is
impossible to fully understand the true workings of a hypocrite, it is quite clear
under specific conditions, any human being may choose to travel that road. The
intention is never the result of trying to cover acts of dishonesty, or selfishness
or deceptiveness, since we are all, under the right conditions, liable to do
this to avoid embarrassment. But instead,
an attempt to convince ourselves and persuade others that we are not capable of
doing so, and rather than admitting to it, we find ways to deflect elsewhere. The
fundamental problem is the conflict between accepting belief and pretending to
be otherwise. Instead of admitting that anyone can be fallible, the hypocrite
will do anything to reflect attention from himself. This is perhaps what the 17th
century English novelist and dramatist, Henry Fielding, who was himself no stranger to hypocrisy,
tried to explain when he recorded:
“Hypocrisy
sets us on an endeavor to avoid censure,
by concealing our vices under the appearance
of their opposite virtues.
-Therein lies the very
seed of hypocrisy. Pretending to be virtuous and correct, and reflecting their
insecurities in order to protect their true image
from exposure.
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