I am getting very tired of being accused of being a hypocrite. It so happens that I am a vegetarian and an on-again, off-again vegan. Currently, I am on week five of being vegan and plan to remain so for the rest of my life if I can.
Yet, as those who learn of my "alternative lifestyle" are so swift to point out, there are many ways in which this makes me an absolute hypocrite. For instance, in the past, I have purchased leather shoes, which I still happen to own and likely will still choose to wear.
I can't pretend to have any justification for having made these purchases. Given my values at the time, I was undeniably a hypocrite. I found a good deal and chose to turn a blind eye to the moral implications of my purchase.
If you ask how I reconcile this uncomfortable truth, my answer will be as follows: In my honest opinion, all the best people in this world are in a constant state of hypocrisy.
The fact of the matter is that we are not born morally neutral. From the very start, we are part of a system that is inherently flawed. We consume things that have been created and supplied to us as a result of horrible injustices. We benefit from privileges gained at the expense of people who suffer. We inherit a history that was built on shocking wrongdoings that shape our current uderstanding and behaviour. As a result, even our most passive behaviour is fraught with morally questionable dimensions.
For those of us who attempt to pull ourselves out from this web of moral failings by first becoming morally aware, the immediate consequence will be to plunge us into a state of instant hypocrisy. Our newly formed or newly expanded moral consciousness will undoubtedly be in conflict with so many other aspects of our practices which have not yet been subjected to similar scrutiny. Moreover, some practices will be easier to give up, while others will take more work. When we are first starting out, we will naturally start with the easiest aspects of ourselves to change before tackling those which are more challenging. As we progress towards the goal of perfection, we will consequently be plagued by moral failings when judged by our own moral standards.
Somehow, in the eyes of some, this unavoidable state of hypocrisy appears to be an irrefutable argument in favour of shutting down any such moral awakenings. You are a vegetarian but you have leather shoes, the critics will say, as though this is somehow an argument in favour of abandoning the vegetarianism altogetherin order to be free of contradictary practices--in order to be safe from being labelled a hypocrite. But my reply is: I became a vegetarian because of my moral stance on this issue. It may very well be that I am an utter failure in living up to this belief. I will therefore be deserving of criticism. But abandoning the lifestyle that was inspired by that moral belief will just put me even more afoul of my beliefs.
Simply put, the absence of hypocrisy is not a moral virtue in itself, but is rather an indication of a complete absence of any real morality. Those who never challenge themselves to any kind of moral awakening are blissfully unhypocritcal simply because they never commit to any morality of substance that could put them into conflict with themselves. Because they do not really believe in anything, or at least never believe in anything that departs from the practical reality that they inhabit, they can never be accused of having moral beliefs that conflict with their conduct.
The real heroes in my view are the ones who recognize the uncomfortable and sometimes painful truth of the situation and yet bravely labour through it. To loosely quote Dostoevskys Father Zosima (from my favourite book ever, The Brothers Karamazov): each is responsible for everything and I more than anyone else.
We are all implicated in the injustices in this world. From that starting point, the question is not how morally perfect and consistent we are, but rather how we can begin the lifelong journey of disentangling ourselves from that web. This is a journey that is never finished. We just do the very best we can to do better each day.
The corrollary of this is a more compassionate perspective on the moral failings of our fellow beings. We all are hypocrites. We all fail horribly to live up to our own ideals in so many respects. I might avoid animal products, but before I start to gloat about that, I should humble myself by recalling my thusfar unacceptable ignorance of the injustices in our foreign policies, etc., etc. The real measure by which to judge each other's morality is the extent to which we try to do as much as we can, to face up to and resolve the contradictions, however slow and difficult that process may be.
It also involves a more compassionate approach to our own moral development. I am inherently a hypocrite, but if I let that undermine my sense of moral self-worth, then I will remain mired in a state of the most extreme immorality. The only moral option is the one that moves forward without harsh judgments. If we cant achieve perfection, then we will face this reality with eyes wide open and aim to simply do the very best we can in the circumstances until we find strength to do better. What we require is not moral consistency but moral courage.
The aim then is to acknowledge our own hypocrisy and refuse to fear it, while at the same time not allowing ourselves to become dull to the sense of responsibility (and yes guilt and pain) that are intrinsically part of the process: the pain involved in breaking the shells of our own understanding.....
Yet, as those who learn of my "alternative lifestyle" are so swift to point out, there are many ways in which this makes me an absolute hypocrite. For instance, in the past, I have purchased leather shoes, which I still happen to own and likely will still choose to wear.
I can't pretend to have any justification for having made these purchases. Given my values at the time, I was undeniably a hypocrite. I found a good deal and chose to turn a blind eye to the moral implications of my purchase.
If you ask how I reconcile this uncomfortable truth, my answer will be as follows: In my honest opinion, all the best people in this world are in a constant state of hypocrisy.
The fact of the matter is that we are not born morally neutral. From the very start, we are part of a system that is inherently flawed. We consume things that have been created and supplied to us as a result of horrible injustices. We benefit from privileges gained at the expense of people who suffer. We inherit a history that was built on shocking wrongdoings that shape our current uderstanding and behaviour. As a result, even our most passive behaviour is fraught with morally questionable dimensions.
For those of us who attempt to pull ourselves out from this web of moral failings by first becoming morally aware, the immediate consequence will be to plunge us into a state of instant hypocrisy. Our newly formed or newly expanded moral consciousness will undoubtedly be in conflict with so many other aspects of our practices which have not yet been subjected to similar scrutiny. Moreover, some practices will be easier to give up, while others will take more work. When we are first starting out, we will naturally start with the easiest aspects of ourselves to change before tackling those which are more challenging. As we progress towards the goal of perfection, we will consequently be plagued by moral failings when judged by our own moral standards.
Somehow, in the eyes of some, this unavoidable state of hypocrisy appears to be an irrefutable argument in favour of shutting down any such moral awakenings. You are a vegetarian but you have leather shoes, the critics will say, as though this is somehow an argument in favour of abandoning the vegetarianism altogetherin order to be free of contradictary practices--in order to be safe from being labelled a hypocrite. But my reply is: I became a vegetarian because of my moral stance on this issue. It may very well be that I am an utter failure in living up to this belief. I will therefore be deserving of criticism. But abandoning the lifestyle that was inspired by that moral belief will just put me even more afoul of my beliefs.
Simply put, the absence of hypocrisy is not a moral virtue in itself, but is rather an indication of a complete absence of any real morality. Those who never challenge themselves to any kind of moral awakening are blissfully unhypocritcal simply because they never commit to any morality of substance that could put them into conflict with themselves. Because they do not really believe in anything, or at least never believe in anything that departs from the practical reality that they inhabit, they can never be accused of having moral beliefs that conflict with their conduct.
The real heroes in my view are the ones who recognize the uncomfortable and sometimes painful truth of the situation and yet bravely labour through it. To loosely quote Dostoevskys Father Zosima (from my favourite book ever, The Brothers Karamazov): each is responsible for everything and I more than anyone else.
We are all implicated in the injustices in this world. From that starting point, the question is not how morally perfect and consistent we are, but rather how we can begin the lifelong journey of disentangling ourselves from that web. This is a journey that is never finished. We just do the very best we can to do better each day.
The corrollary of this is a more compassionate perspective on the moral failings of our fellow beings. We all are hypocrites. We all fail horribly to live up to our own ideals in so many respects. I might avoid animal products, but before I start to gloat about that, I should humble myself by recalling my thusfar unacceptable ignorance of the injustices in our foreign policies, etc., etc. The real measure by which to judge each other's morality is the extent to which we try to do as much as we can, to face up to and resolve the contradictions, however slow and difficult that process may be.
It also involves a more compassionate approach to our own moral development. I am inherently a hypocrite, but if I let that undermine my sense of moral self-worth, then I will remain mired in a state of the most extreme immorality. The only moral option is the one that moves forward without harsh judgments. If we cant achieve perfection, then we will face this reality with eyes wide open and aim to simply do the very best we can in the circumstances until we find strength to do better. What we require is not moral consistency but moral courage.
The aim then is to acknowledge our own hypocrisy and refuse to fear it, while at the same time not allowing ourselves to become dull to the sense of responsibility (and yes guilt and pain) that are intrinsically part of the process: the pain involved in breaking the shells of our own understanding.....
this is gorgeously written and really speaks to me right now as I'm trying to make a difficult transition from vegetarian to vegan. Thank you! xo
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