Hypocrisy comes easy to those who believe they are morally upright

We see many people who are blatantly hypocrite. While most of us (observers) seem to notice this in them, these people are somehow oblivious to it. They continue to flaunt their hypocrisy without shame or embarrassment showing no signs of remorse or guilt.

For example, USA, while continuing to discard the Kyoto Protocol, coerces India and few other countries to reduce their carbon emissions. Again, USA, while continuing to stockpile huge number of nuclear weapons dictates other countries, and sometimes goes to war against other countries, who aspire to build nuclear weapons. India, while continuing to support independent movements against colonial powers and supporting assertion of sovereignty and freedom in many international forums, goes on to suppress all freedom movements within its borders.

Many tax-evaders in India, while continuing to blatantly evade taxes, using corrupt and illegal means where necessary, flaunt their other virtues, which happen to be daily prayers, non-alcoholism and vegetarianism, thus holding a morally upright position in the society.

Hindutva groups of India do not believe they are being hypocrite when they extend protection to Taslima, who has allegedly ‘hurt Muslim sentiments’, but then they go onto ransack and kick out MF Husain for allegedly ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’.

Indian Left in Bengal does not think it is being a hypocrite when they throw goons to rough up and beat up the opponents to promote their industrial and development projects, while they continue to fight similar projects in other parts of India.

These people who are blatantly hypocrite do not see themselves as such because they are usually supported by a very strong sense of moral uprightness coming from other virtues.

Narendra Modi has no qualms when he says he has killed the ‘terrorist’ in his state using illegal methods of encounter. He is actually on the ‘morally right side’ when he says that because there are many Hindus and Indians who believe it is OK to kill someone using illegal methods to save the nation! This message is conveyed again and again by many Indian movies where the protagonist (called Hero) takes up illegal methods to kill the bad guy (called villain) [Famous example being Rang De Basanti]. The message - to kill someone who is deemed harmful to the nation using illegal methods is heroic - is a virtue that Narendra Modi is holding onto here.

Tax-shirkers, there are many of them in India, are not ashamed of evading taxes. They have no compunctions about paying bribes to escape conviction. The message that our government is corrupt and that the politicians eat up our hard-earned money (paid as taxes) has been conveyed in so many ways that it is has now become a virtue to avoid paying taxes to this government. Hence you don’t see remorse or guilt in these tax-evaders.

If there is any trace of guilt of wrongdoing while conducting his business using illicit methods, he erases that off by constantly praying to a goddess, donating paltry amounts to the temple nearby, and fasting on a day in week; and if he thinks he is sinning more fleecing other people or cheating people too many times, he will turn into a teetotaler to appease the gods.

There is a research here which suggests that ‘Ethical people become worst cheats’.

People’s sense of moral superiority might lead them to rationalize bad behavior, turning them into cheats. In fact, some of the best do-gooders can become the worst cheats.

For example, somebody could rationalize cheating on a test as a way of achieving their dream of becoming a doctor and helping people.

When the line between right and wrong is ambiguous among people who think of themselves as having high moral standards, the do-gooders can become the worst of cheaters.

“The principle we uncovered is that when faced with a moral decision, those with a strong moral identity choose their fate (for good or for bad) and then the moral identity drives them to pursue that fate to the extreme,” said researcher. “So it makes sense that this principle would help explain what makes the greatest of saints and the foulest of hypocrites.”

Why would a person who thinks of himself as honest cheat? The researchers suggest an “ethical person” could view cheating as an OK thing to do, justifying the act as a means to a moral end.

As Reynolds put it: “If I cheat, then I’ll get into graduate school, and if I get into graduate school, then I can become a doctor and think about all the people I’m going to help when I’m a doctor.”

I like to stay away from people who tend to talk morals. According to me, morals are relative, subjective and tend to change with time and place.