Hypocrite - NOT

I got a phone call yesterday to help out with our, um, well I don't really know what we call it anymore BUT it use to be "Enrichment Night" at my church. This great gal asked if I would talk a couple minutes about blogging as a form of journaling.

The first thing that went through my mind was . . . now, when was the last time I blogged? Needless to say, I totally felt like a hypocrite knowing I haven't been real consistent the last few months with blogging.

On a whim I looked up the word "hypocrisy" on Wikipedia to see what they have to say about the subject. If you haven't played around on Wikipedia, I urge you to go and do. It makes your time wasting net surfing feel enlightening. Anyways, here is what I found:

Hypocrisy is the act of persistently pretending to hold beliefs, opinions, virture, feelings, qualities or standards that one does not actually hold. Hypocrisy is thus a kind of lie.

I got to thinking about that definition. I really don't pretend to blog. I do it. Inconsistently, yes . . . but I do it. I believe it's good. I think it's a great way to keep in touch with friends and family and, HOLY COW, I love that other people comment on it!

Here is some more of what Wiki had to say:

Hypocrisy may come from a desire to hide from others actual motives or feelings. Hypocrisy is not simply an inconsistency between what is advocated and what is done.

Ok. I don't hide the fact that I have some flaky loser qualities. I might limit my time with other people so they don't pick up on them. If you have noticed them in me, well, I've probably noticed them to. Some things are just hard to shake. According to the above definition my inconsistency at blogging or being on time isn't that I don't have the desire. It's that I am still working on that one. Right?

When I read the next part I felt vindicated.

Samuel Johnson made this point when he wrote about the misuse of the charge of "hypocrisy" in Rambler No. 14:

"Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory, as a man may be confident of the advantages of a voyage, or a journey, without having courage or industry to undertake it, and may honestly recommend to others, those attempts which he neglects himself."

So, to all those who will hear me praise the virtues of blogging as a kind of journaling tonight, know that I am expressing my desire for and further action of some good ol' fashion blogging. Maybe I need more courage. Maybe I need to conquer my time mismanagement issue. Maybe I need to store that stinkin' cord for my camera in a more convienent place! Maybe I need to answer this . . .

Does a hypocrite ever think they're really a hypocrite?