This comes from www.merriam-webster.com
: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings
I was thinking one time, in Christianity we are taught not to judge, after all the only one who is supposed to judge is God himself. Jesus if you believe you go through Jesus to get to the gates of heaven. Many other religions teach not to judge.... So when we call someone a hypocrite we are seeing them purely for their words and actions.
I figure if we break down this idea of being a hypocrite, we really are viewing something entirely different.
We are viewing change in someone. If I say, "I would never own a cat," and then I get a kitten, this is considered being a hypocrite. Especially, if prior to that I stated all the reasons I hated cats. Or if I state, "you should always live life judgement free," and then I place judgements or values on your or anything else in my life, some would call me a hypocrite, but am I really? Seriously, are you going to say that I am a hypocrite if I do one thing and say another.
So it comes down to this, defining things. We need to define what is going on around us. Really, what a hypocrite is saying is, "you shouldn't drink," as they down a shot of whisky, in their head they are saying, "I shouldn't drink." I think the very act of being a hypocrite, which we all are at times, none of us are immune to this; is really growth and change or a desire for growth or change. We all know what is right but when we do something wrong, we make excuses and blame other people, blame the dog, the cat, the kids, the dust in the house, whatever it is. I personally like to blame cows and plants for ice cream with chocolate hot fudge, and then I can blame the waiter for allowing me to order it and bringing it to me. ha ha
Seriously though, before you judge someone a hypocrite we need to stop and think why it may appear that way. If someone says to me, "you should do x, y, z," I always say, "yes I should and so should you." It isn't easy, it just isn't and when I counsel people, if I say something like, "everyone should meditate daily and ground themselves, it isn't easy and I admit at times I fail at this." This is a lesson in humility, it is my way of not being a hypocrite.
I personally try to only use the word hypocrite when that person has harmful intentions behind their 2 faced presentation. Basically when a person eats ice cream or forgets to meditate and then reminds others to eat healthy and meditate, I don't look at it in a negative light. They are saying a contridictory thing to HELP others even though they can not or will not help themselves. The ones that I don't care for is like a politician going to a green group meeting and saying how green is the way to go and then goes and gives money to big oil. There is deceit behind their actions.
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