Hypocrisy destroys what values try to build
It is a very good sign that today an increasingly large number of the intelligentsia have begun to raise their voices about the need to practise values in order to improve the quality of life and to make the world a better place to live in. It is a sign of this age, and also of intellectualism, that once people take up a topic for serious discussion, they begin to analyse it, dissect it, describe it and give a detailed explanation of it from various angles.
For an in-depth study, and in keeping with the spirit of the times, this is all right. But all these discussions and descriptions lose their purpose and charm if we merely intellectualise them and do not take care to give them spiritual content and put them into practice. We all know that vitamins are of great value, as they remove certain deficiencies and provide us with essential nutritive components. However, mere talk of vitamins, without taking the required ones into our physical system, would not help us in any way. Similarly, merely talking about values has its own importance, but it does not take the place of the values we talk about.
Most people living in modern society talk about values for two reasons. One of these is that it has become fashionable to talk about them, as there is a powerful wave or current, and people prefer to go with the current rather than against it. A few years ago, hardly anyone would talk about moral values, attitudes and moods, but today these are prominent topics discussed everywhere, and they are perhaps among the most popular subjects for conversation, discussion, dialogue, conferences and articles. Some people speak on these subjects to show that they are in tune with the spirit of the times. However, the need in this case is that they should themselves realise the true worth of values and not merely be carried along by the current.
Secondly, as the famous psychologist Carl Jung said in his writings on psychology, “man wears masks”, which he called the “persona”. It is a fact that most of us wear various masks in order to seek acceptance, commendation and praise. However, this mask does not represent our real self. So, even though a person talks about values, he may, in truth, be the very opposite, and he might not be practising them in his personal life. In that case, it would be mere hypocrisy, and it would do a disservice to the very cause.
When people discover that those in power and high positions talk of values but do not practise them, they become disillusioned and lose hope. Especially when they see that a great majority of people violate values in practical life, though they loudly proclaim them in public, they feel frustrated. This creates a negative wave that counteracts the noble work of promoting values. In such matters, hypocrisy is the worst enemy, while sincerity is the true friend and promoter.
We must therefore emphasise two things while discussing values. One is that we must practise values in our own lives. The other is that if a person speaks of a value but does not practise it, he should admit this honestly and tell people that the value is important and that he will now begin to practise it. Sincerity prepares the mind for other virtues and helps them grow strong. It wins hearts and makes even the humblest person more valuable than the most talented hypocrite.
The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist; views are personal
