Trying not to be a Hypocrite …

Definition of Hypocrite;

‘A person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.”

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I have been nonexistent here for over a month … but not on social media. It has been perhaps the most challenging period for me since I began sharing my written thoughts with you eighteen months ago.

Like so many of us, the American election, for Americans and non-Americans alike and its excruciating aftermath, has consumed me, infuriated me, emboldened me, depressed me, “created” acrimony amongst friends/acquaintances/relatives/strangers and has left me with an omnipresent feeling of guilt.

These are not the mindsets I want to hold as I wholeheartedly believe in my “new view of the world”, as one friend recently pointed out to me in deriding fashion, however, he is correct – in a manner of speaking. Fortunately, I recently caught myself spiralling into a trough of vacillating bitterness with my cousin on the other side of the pond and on the other side of an issue. We both stood down and pursued love and respect – which I know we both have for one another. But it was work! Should it be?

If you haven’t yet followed me on Instagram – I hope you will. And if you have not hitherto embraced Instagram I encourage you to do so. On that platform, dissimilar from Facebook, Twitter or to any number of morose pundits one may subscribe, I for one have been able to perfectly insulate myself and escape from divisive politics, rancour, or any debate and instead, have been successful in submerging myself into and/or posting only “good vibe images” of love, peace, universal friendship and the power to change ones life through resolute personal choice.

My dilemma and guilt is found between what I have been sucked into on Twitter and Facebook (my choice entirely – my bad) and the dichotomy of my Instagram activity. In a nutshell – I felt my varied actions to be hypocritical.

Do you agree? Or have you similar personal misgivings about your own inconsistent actions and thoughts? We all strive to be the best we can be within the current boundaries of our imperfect amalgamation of knowledge we have acquired thus far. Is it fair however to be so self-critical?

Endeavouring to be consistent in our lives has a number of meritorious elements for us. People understand what we stand for. There should be no surprises. One would expect fewer misunderstandings and mixed messages (my issue). Perhaps more people would respect our views despite the fact that one may genuinely deviate from them.

On the other hand – we are complex cognitive beings. We are multifaceted in thought, actions, love, empathy, jealousy etc.

We are naturally wired to think critically and therefore I believe, that as a cognitive mammal it is unnatural or better said disingenuous to force oneself into a hermetically sealed box (blindly or otherwise) of one politically or socially circumscribed philosophy. I am quite sure I would make for a lousy politician.

So in this doctrinally polarized environment, if one takes a stand where one feels, “it is just too important to be silent”, personal assaults will be inevitable and one must be prepared for them. If I am sending out peaceful vibes on Instagram and sharp digs out on Facebook or Twitter, so be it. It is what I believe in. And, notably – I am prepared to face the music. It is our choice that allows people to get “under our skin” and feel unsettled. In the international best selling book, The Four Agreements, author Don Miguel Ruiz expounds on the Second Agreement, Don’t Take Anything Personally.

“There is a huge amount of freedom that comes to you when you take nothing personally. You become immune to black magicians, and no spell can affect you regardless of how strong it may be. The whole world can gossip about you, and if you don’t take it personally you are immune. Someone can intentionally send you emotional poison, and if you don’t take it personally, you will not eat it.”

Being authentic is not being hypocritical. Being a critical thinker is where we find genuineness and objectivity. That is what I always strive to uphold. If I remember that, I might also remember ALL of Ruiz’s four agreements.

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.

Aristotle

 

truth-and-post-truth

So there …

 

8 thoughts on “Trying not to be a Hypocrite …

  1. You call it as you see it. You are authentic. You are real. You are utilizing Twitter and Facebook to “share” your views. In this world we live in, the focus is to send positive messages to the universe. Send positive energy and it will come back to you. Train your mind to pass over the negative thoughts and absorb only the positive. “And then, and only then, will you be free.” Instagram serves as your positive, your free. I see a balance here, not a hipocrisy. Keep sharing and let your critics be critics.

  2. Hey Stuart – I’ve been wondering why you continue to post US election thoughts when you know you’re only walking into a minefield of public opinion that will anger and upset you. Why bother? As my hubby always says: if someone has strong opinions, nothing another person says will change their mind. So I say: surround yourself by people who love you, be happy you’re Canadian and let the Americans work out their situation themselves! Life is too short to let others make you feel guilty, upset and/or angry! … On that note, when are you coming for dinner?

  3. I find myself with the same issue. I am an anxiety blogger and preach positivity and kindness and doing the best thing for your emotional health, and then I find myself leaving comments on Yahoo and getting into disagreements on Twitter about Donald Trump. It is hard because my personality type is INFJ and I believe very strongly in “the right thing” and standing up for what I believe and it is so hard to resist that pull and not engage people who drag me down to that lowest level that we all have seen so heavily on social media the past year. I finally have realized that all my “standing up of my beliefs” doesn’t do any good anyway. It is not like they are lining up thanking me for helping them see the error of their ways so I have just tried to refrain from commenting at all. You have to know when you are wasting your time and engaging with people in the fashion I have been, is a complete waste of time. So I still send my message out through ReTweets and my own personal tweets but I no longer poke the bear. The conversation seems to bring out the worst in everybody.

    • Stand up for what you believe in Lisa – if you don’t who will? I think you will be surprised by who hears you. Not everyone – but this is okay. Hope you read my blog just posted on “suffering”. It might resonate with you.
      Thanks as always Lisa,
      Stuart

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