I read about Ted Haggard’s confession of homosexuality and use of methamphetamines, just as you probably have. And I had reactions to it just as you probably do. The first reaction I had was a sense of vindication tinged with that luscious feeling of revenge that the hypocrisy of gay bashing was once again being brought to light.
And while that vindication may bolster the just cause of equality for all human beings, revenge is sweet for only a few short moments. I recognize that underneath my righteous indignation there is a deeper lesson about hypocrisy, at least for me.
Just as presumably Ted Haggard is both humbled and humiliated by this exposure, don’t we all have hypocrisies that would publicly humble and humiliate us if exposed? Yes, his hypocrisy had great influence over the White House, the Republican agenda, and a large Evangelical following. But don’t our individual hypocrisies also influence others as well as social policies?
If we tell our children to abstain from alcohol and drugs but hide our own chemical histories or current use/abuse, what impact does that have? We may argue that we want them to do as we say, not as we do. But couldn’t Mr. Haggard have made that same argument?
If we use an illegal substance but are glad for the arrest of street corner drug dealers, doesn’t this hypocrisy have an impact? Aren’t our prisons overflowing with people who may have touched the contents of that little plastic baggie hidden in our underwear drawer?
If we are calling an end to war with Iraq but continue to consume half of the world’s fossil fuels, much of it for jetting to distant vacation spots or filling up our SUVs, isn’t there just the teeniest bit of hypocrisy in this?
If we pride ourselves for buying organic fruits and vegetables but demand that they be available year round, hurting both local farmers as well as requiring enormous amounts of fuel to get them to the nearest Whole Foods store, isn’t there something for us to examine?
Of course, I can go on and on with this list but my point isn’t to shame us. My point is to acknowledge that all our hypocrisy causes damage. Rather than cast stones at one another, we could take the news of Mr. Haggard and look more deeply into ourselves. We could remove our own veils of hypocrisy, acknowledge our own falls from grace, tell more truths about who we really are, change whatever behaviors we don’t like in ourselves, forgive ourselves and others for our trespasses, and go about living life more consciously and compassionately. This is my take away from today’s news.
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