Peanuts In My Pocket

On my previous blog I wrote extensively about hypocrisy, particularly among pastors, religious figures, politicians, and teachers who act against the tenets of their faith. It was an easy task because there are so many stories to write about. All I needed to do was open the newspaper—the stories practically told themselves. In the end, I wrote about thousands of cases.

But something happened to me along the way. I grew to hate the stories. Near the end, when several large cases caught my attention, it became unbearable. In a few instances, I spoke with the victims. I hadn’t realized how much damage these criminals caused until I learned of a victim’s suicide attempt. That brought it all home for me. I’d had enough and decided to stop. It was the right thing to do at the time.

I like to write. It’s something I enjoy almost as much as spending time with the people I love. I missed writing for my blog. I made up for it with journaling, but it wasn’t the same. I couldn’t write about Donald Trump’s hypocrisy in my journal without feeling hopeless. I didn’t want Trump in my personal journal among the good meals and pleasant conversations. He belongs in a public space where I can point to him and say, “Do you believe this guy?”

Imagine someone who frequently tells others that lying is wrong and that they should always tell the truth. However, this same person lies regularly to get out of trouble or avoid uncomfortable situations.

In this case, the person is being hypocritical because they are not practicing what they preach. They criticize others for lying but do it themselves.

When someone does this, we feel the slap in the face as if it were real. We know it’s not right. We know it’s manipulative and evil. We know it’s a serious character flaw—something that would prevent us from trusting that person.

Think back to when Trump endorsed a Bible. The act alone was hypocritical for obvious reasons. My first thought was, “How much did he make off of that?” This question should have been obvious to all of us. Trump profiting from selling a Bible? What the heck? Today’s reporting in the New York Times puts a number on it. Trump made $300,000 in royalties for endorsing the Greenwood Bible. Did you feel the slap? I did.