Hypocrisy: Why Can’t We Take Our Own Advice?

Warning: This article is pure random thoughts, some of them might not link, some of them might not make sense to you, and you might even disagree with most of it. Just read through it, reflect on yourself and know that in the end, that everyone is entitled to his/her own ideas, thoughts and beliefs.

     You have to think positively. Stop judging yourself. Be patient. Happier. Healthier More content.

Be at peace with yourself. Don’t eat too much junk food it’s not good for you. You shouldn’t smoke. Focus on your career and goals. Aim high… These are all examples of our now every day hypocritical life.

     You don’t believe me? Go ahead, look it up. “Hypocrisy, n: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense.” I just have one simple question. Why did we become so good at giving out advice that we ourselves cannot take?

     I guess the reason would simply be: it’s easy isn’t it? As humans, we became really good (top notch pros if you may) at understanding the idea of giving out good advice. But how many of us actually take that advice and use it to make our own life better, simpler, happier.

     It’s just flat out easy to tell someone to “do the right thing.” But it’s not as easy for the other person to follow up on that advice, to actually what pretty much everyone is screaming in his face to go ahead and do. The reason, we’re just too damn stubborn to take advice. “Wise men don't need advice. Fools won't take it.” - Benjamin Franklin

     Usually, the idea of “doing the right thing” tends to coexist with the idea of doing what best serves our lustful desire (due to lack of self-control I guess). How many times do we fully understand that our actions are morally wrong, but still go ahead and do them anyway, simply because it feels good or is more convenient?

     

     “Parents can only give good advice or put them on the right paths, but the final forming of a person's character lies in their own hands.” - Anne Frank

     People that tend to do hypocritical acts usually follow up with a form of self-justified excuse of their actions. These rationalizations are usually followed up with sentences such as “I couldn’t help it,” “I couldn’t control myself,” or even “you just don’t understand how it feels.”

     Maybe it’s just easier to give out advice than taking it because of how hard it is to self-reflect, tap into our own wisdom. Maybe we see ourselves in others. Maybe by giving out advice to others we are essentially trying to help ourselves. Or maybe some of us are just too stubborn to help ourselves. I think it’s just in our nature; we just can’t be humble enough to achieve wise behavior.

     “We give advice, but we cannot give the wisdom to profit by it.” 

Francois de La Rochefoucauld