I am a Hypocrite

Hi, my name is Dark Ghost and I am a hypocrite.

I don't feel proud or ashamed by this fact. It is what it is. While I won't be the one approaching you on the street, telling you to eat well, exercise and socialise more, I will be telling you these things if you ask for my advice — even though I do not do these things myself. I won't hold up signs protesting injustice, but I feel agitated by the injustice I see at times.

I will encourage you to be fairer, less judgemental and kinder towards yourself yet struggle to practice what I preach towards myself. I will tell you that remembering insults/negative comments made by others is a waste of energy, but I will expend much of my own on those things. I will tell you that holding a grudge is also a waste of energy, but I will still hold them.

I will tell you that nobody does anything without expecting some type of reward and I will just do things without expecting a reward. I will tell you to support creative content producers, but I will download the latest music album instead of buying it. I will tell others not to engage in destructive behaviour while myself engaging in destructive behaviour. I will not place high standards on others but I will place them on myself.

I guess what I'm saying is that I care more about other people's welfare and the world as a whole than I do about myself. Is this a positive or negative mentality to maintain? Would the world be a better place if more or fewer people maintained such a mindset?

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Would the world be a better place if more or fewer people maintained such a mindset?

Fewer...

Myself being in the same catagory though... who isn't in some sense

so quit it

or have a beer..

Mathew 7:3
why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, but not notice the beam in your own eye?

a reply to: Dark Ghost

you just made my world a little better...

Now I know that I am not the only one.

Just keep working at it. When you do something that makes you a hypocrite, stop, realise, and maybe next time you won't repeat it. Also, eat a little healthier and get some exercise, you're body will thank you (: it's easier than you think. I'm still a hypocrite, but I feel I am far less of a hypocrite than I use to be. Mindfulness is your greatest attribute when it comes to bettering yourself, and being sensitive towards others.

It never ends, but you get better at it.
Thank you for being a decent person.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Honesty. It is worth more than wealth. I salute you sir. You are guilty of being human.

What you say is true for all. Now at least you can move forward.

Celebrate your progress. You are awesome.

Have a good one.
Hold it down.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Humans are set on auto-destruct which is a negative but the hearts intelligence is less irresponsible.

"Practice what you preach"

Comes to mind.


I guess that's exactly how the phrase came to be, no?


Knowing whats right from wrong or the "Correct" answers is pretty easy, practicing them on the other hand for oneself is the hard part sometimes for many. I think we've all been hypocritical at times in our lives. Some are or were at the time, completely oblivious to it at the time. It isn't until weeks, months or even years later that we realize how much so. Usually do to some event beyond our control that we then come face to face with it.

I guess the point is to become self aware of our own frailties and grow from the experience/enlightenment?

These are not my words, but they are wise:

Ladies and Gentleman,
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience...
I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth; oh nevermind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked...
You're not as fat as you Imagine.

Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind.
The kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing everyday that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy;
Sometimes you're ahead,
Sometimes You're behind.
The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults;
If you Succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your
Life.
The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives, some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of calcium.

Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't, maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't, maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.
Whatever you do, don't Congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself either.
Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, Use it every way you can... Don't be afraid of it, or what other people Think of it,
It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own...

Dance... even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.

Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there
For you.
And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.

Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings;
They are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard;
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths, prices will rise, politicians will Philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you.
Maybe you have a trust fund, Maybe you have a wealthy spouse; but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time you're 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but, be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia, dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen...

(Brother and sister together we'll make it through
Someday your spirit will take you and guide you there
I know you've been hurting, but I've been waiting to be there
For you. And I'll be there, just tell me now, whenever I can.
Everybody's free.)

god praise the self righteous

a reply to: MrCrow

What a Wonderful post!!!!!
Seriously one of the truest and wisest posts i've ever seen on this site,puts a smile on a face and a tear in the eye

a reply to: Raxoxane

Thanks - I only wish it were me who came up with them!

Have a link: www.youtube.com...

a reply to: Dark Ghost

Touce'. Well said. I try to learn one new thing each day, help at least one person each day too...and to not be so hard on myself when I make a mistake....which I will

Thanks

MS

a reply to: Dark Ghost

I will encourage you to be fairer, less judgemental and kinder towards yourself yet struggle to practice what I preach towards myself. I will tell you that remembering insults/negative comments made by others is a waste of energy, but I will expend much of my own on those things. I will tell you that holding a grudge is also a waste of energy, but I will still hold them.

You sound a lot like me; we mean well and strive to bring out the best in others and yet we don't work enough on ourselves. Are we selfish or altruistic or both at the same time. You have really made me question myself. Thanks

Would the world be a better place if more or fewer people maintained such a mindset?

On the surface I guess it would be a better place. Having said that what happens when in trying to bring out the best in others that they are unreceptive or resistant, we bring on more karma, sometimes its best to walk away.

a reply to: Alien Abduct

Mathew 7:3
why do you look at the splinter in your brother's eye, but not notice the beam in your own eye

But he has, that's the whole point of the thread - maybe you should reread it before "casting the first stone"

a reply to: MrCrow

Great post however we all need the Sun for Vitamin D, the sun also is a great anti-depressant. When someone says "trust me" I usually look to see if my wallet is safe, hehe

Sunscreen I dont trust as much...

But trust me on the sunscreen

www.womenshealthmag.com...

Physical sunscreen, or sunblock, contains natural minerals such as titanium dioxide and zinc oxide that cover the surface of skin to physically block or reflect broad spectrum of the sun's UVA and UVB rays. Unless you're using high-end physical SPF products, sunblock can be thick and messy to apply, sometimes leaving a white sheen and residue that can clog pores and require scrubbing and rubbing to remove.

Chemical sunscreen, on the other hand, contains synthetic ingredients such as oxybenzone and octinoxate, which are absorbed into the skin to filter and absorb UV rays, effectively protecting deeper layers of skin. Because it is absorbed, chemical sunscreen can lead to skin irritation and other adverse reactions. Plus, the ingredients can generate cell-damaging free radicals when exposed to the sun.

6 SCARY SUNSCREEN INGREDIENTS.......

S+F for realness.

My question is, are individuals inherently "flawed" on different levels, causing us to believe that we exist in a lesser state than those we perceive to be better than us? Are some people actually forever and infinitely better than anything you or I could find or improve upon about ourselves? Maybe what you find hypocritical about yourself is somthin that you will have to live with and express without being a detriment to others. Anyways, just wanted to share some thoughts.

Mr. Ghost, please contribute more to ATS. I'm always humbled by your thoughts, which in turn cause me to evaluate my own. We need more of that around here.

a reply to: Dark Ghost

You could tell everyone to engage in destructive behavior but you chose not to do that. You could defend destructive behavior but chose not to. You could remain silent about destructive behavior but chose not to. You could wait until you are completrly free of self destructive behavior but that will be impossible being able to achieve that in your life time.

Why?

Because you are human.

Many times, the greater insights are from your higher self or channeled in from outside of yourself. So many times, saying is not as easy as doing because old habits need to be broken. In other instances, the Universe provides additional circumstances in order for the individual to endure it and to see if what was referred to to cope works, or if it needs to be adjusted where new insight is learned.

You have to understand that humans are unique and what works for one may not work for another. Keep in mind what you may talk or write about will be helpful to someone at some point in their life. Whether you choose to reveal what you say is your own internal struggle, is up to you. In addition, those who have dealt with or have been dealing with the same struggle repeatedly, offer the best insight based on first hand experience. Someone who has never engaged in an experience will not be helpful providing information on how to get out of an experience or cope with it, due to having no experience.themselves. Those people can only provide information from the point of view of looking at another who is having the experience. Their information is important too, but different.

Everyone needs to remember they are living in a human body filled with chemicals and hormones that can effect a person's emotions that create various levels of feeling sad, mad, happy or at peace and knowing what should be done can be effected by the chemical/hormonal state resulting in what should be done, executed poorly, with flaws. In extreme cases, not at all.

History has shown that spirit is in conflict with the flesh, but does that make it a hypocrite to the other? No, it's just a wrestling and coming to terms with it. Calling yourself a hypocrite is self whipping, but if that's what you think you need to do until you purge yourself to move on to the next level of what ever journey you are on, so be it. Calling someone else a hypocrite is an interpretation from one perspective other then the person accused of being one, and if you were to consider everything stated above, there is much more that goes on behind the scenes within the individual who stated what should be done, but didn't execute it flawlessly themselves in action or contradicted themselves in a statement. Hypocrite is an accusatory term and in many cases the constant accusing of someone as being a hypocrite, without knowing the exact circumstances that made the person who they were up to the point of what they said, can manifest as hypocritical and ooze around consuming people like the Blob because that is what you are choosing to see it as with many others joining in, feeding it. But then the hypocrite blob manifestation can be used in an interesting way with the debate that can come out of it which continues the information flow of learning, which is what this life seems to be about. Learning and doing, re-evaluating, adjusting, applying and sharing.

originally posted by: Dark Ghost
Is this a positive or negative mentality to maintain?

Honestly, it's a negative trait. The very reason the world is full of vices is because people still commit them. So if you're really for or against something, practice what you preach.

For example, I want to change the world. I want reality to match my ideal vision of reality. But I'm honest w/myself & know that I can't change most people's actions or perspectives. So instead, I'm trying to become the personification of my beliefs.

I hate rape so I've vowed to never rape someone. I hate child abuse so I've vowed to never abuse a child. I believe that all life is precious, so I stopped unnecessarily killing things (and am now a vegetarian). I'm against violence so I fight with my words and through non-violence. I hate the effects of alcohol & other drugs on society, so I don't use any of them. I believe in charity so I give when I can. I believe in spreading knowledge so I speak up as much as possible, and make all of my works free of charge (irl). I'm against greed so I took a vow of poverty (which sucks, by the way).

I might not be able to change anyone else but at least I can confidently say I'm not contributing to the things I claim to be against. Well, to be more accurate: I'm not intentionally contributing to the things I claim to be against.

TL;DR - Be honest w/yourself & become an example of the things you claim to believe in. If you're ashamed of something , change it. And if you believe in something, live it. Otherwise, what's the point?