Am I a Hypocrite? YOU Decide!

The Crime

A few far-flung family members visited in late December. On Christmas Day, one of them announced that they would like to go to Spies in Disguise that evening, and that we were welcome to join them. I really wasn’t interested in the movie. More importantly, mere weeks before I had written: “… if we dream of a world where more people can relax and celebrate with loved ones on certain days of the year, we might want to rethink traditions like family outings to the movie theater after holiday dinners.” But I did want to spend time with my family.

I had three choices:

• I could go with them.
• I could say, “I’m not crazy about the idea of going out on holidays, because it encourages businesses to stay open instead of giving their employees the day off.”
• I could just say, “No, thank you,” and leave it at that.

I chose to go with them.

The Case Against Me

According to Merriam-Webster, one of the definitions of a hypocrite is “a person who acts in contraction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings.” By that definition, I certainly appear to be guilty. I encouraged people to stay home on holidays. I went out, and I really didn’t have to.

This is a clear case of hypocrisy, right? We can take away my license to write posts on making a difference right now.

In My Defense…

I’ll be honest. I’m not sure if I made the right choice. I feel like the second option wasn’t a good one in this case. A child was involved. His parents had already said — in front of him — that they were going to the movie. That’s not the time to talk about choosing not to go out on a holiday. But the third option was valid and would have been more consistent with my beliefs. I simply chose to go because I love my family, don’t see them as often as I’d like, and thought it would be nice to say, “Yes.”

That may be a good enough excuse. I tend to side with love over strict adherence to standards when presented with a choice between the two. And while it wouldn’t have been unloving to stay home, it was an act of love to join my family.

I’ve also tried to argue in this blog that making a difference is neither a matter of perfection nor a matter of a black-and-white approach to issues and decision-making. Making the right choice can be overwhelming, exhausting, and difficult. In the end, making a difference is a journey in personal growth, and we never “arrive” at our destination.

I also hope I’ve avoided being “preachy” in my posts about making a differences. I try to write words of encouragement, inspiring others — including myself — to make a difference in what little ways we can.

The Verdict

As I said above, I really don’t know if I made the right choice. But I don’t consider myself a hypocrite, because I wouldn’t judge any of my readers for doing the same thing I did. All any of us can do is continue to wrestle with our choices and do our best. We will fail — perhaps I did this past Christmas Day — but each moment we live is an opportunity to try again.

In the end, though, this isn’t my call. I doubt many people think they are hypocrites. So you decide: Am I a hypocrite? I’m interested in your thoughts.