Just Listen to those Hypocrites!

More and more we live in fear that the places we once thought were safe--our churches, our schools, our movie theaters, our homes--are not safe anymore.  So not too long ago I re-tweeted a video of a string of celebrities calling on the public to take some kind of action and make a positive change in society in order to curtail the escalating gun violence that has invaded every corner of our lives.  Now, whether or not you agree with the assertion that it's too easy to purchase and carry around weapons that can wipe out a classroom of kindergarteners faster than you can say "See Dick and Jane run!", you can't blame folks who have a platform (for whatever reason) for using it to express their opinions.

But apparently you can.  Someone commented on how the celebrities in that video were all hypocrites, which I presume means that we don't need to bother listening to anything they have to say.  Now that got me thinking: if I don't have to take seriously the opinions of anyone I judge to be hypocritical, that narrows the field!  I don't have to listen to anyone in my family, because over the years I've seen them do things that contradict what they say they believe.  I don't have to listen to any of my co-workers or bosses at work, because they don't always follow through on their stated goals.  Politicians?  Forget it!  And I sure don't have to listen to anyone at church, because heaven knows there's a lot more preachin' than there is practicin' going on there!

Then again, if I only ever listen to people who never do things that contradict what they say, I'd never listen to anyone--not even myself.  As it turns out, saying one thing and doing another is a universal practice.  You might even say it comes with being human.

So maybe what we're really doing, when we turn down those voices we judge to be hypocritical, is creating an excuse not to listen.  And maybe it would be better to simply own up to our own fear of facing the challenges of this world together, which at times seem insurmountable, rather than refusing to become a part of the solution and blaming others for our own choices.

See, just because someone is a hypocrite doesn't mean they don't have anything important to say.

"....remove the log from your own eye..."