Friday, December 07, 2007

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.

23 comments:

  1. I agree with you that the moral questions are tough decisions and that is why hell's population is increasing exponentially (The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality).

    Read about Utilitarianism.

    Utilitarianism is the ethical doctrine that the moral worth of an action is solely determined by its contribution to overall utility.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utilitarianism

    This post links to a research on this Blog's favorite Times of India. The line is really blurring between TOI and this Blog. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great talk about compassion by Daniel Goldman (author of Emotional Intelligence) -> Here

    ReplyDelete
  3. wow, these are some brilliant observations. let's try observing a wee bit more, shall we?

    1. an indian who claims that "indians are not creative" doesn't seem to have created much himself.

    2. some jerk who publicly claims that "ethics are relative with respect to time and place" seems, also, to privately think that people are somehow "idiotic" not to follow his self-righteous moral drivel -- like an ayatollah?

    3. this idiot who claims that "indians are idiots" doesn't seem to understand that blogging his ill-founded idiotic judgements will NOT magically make other idiots change their behaviour.

    4. this [deleted * expletive] who (seems to) hold reason and evidence in such high esteem loves to assert his "moral truths" in ways which aren't testable, make no predictions nor provide creative solutions -- so much for your astute observations, you [deleted * expletive].

    4. the same moron who loves to cite papers regarding "hypocrisy comes easy to those who believe they are morally upright", doesn't see any contradiction in his abundance of bickering and utter lack of remedial action.

    5. this hypocritical dirtbag who loves to wallow in his self-righteous moral superiority (by not throwing a parle-G wrapper on the road?) also loves to engage in mindnumbingly trivial nonsense such as complaining about some actor's "khandaan" and how it brings shame to his nationality.

    6. this [deleted * expletive], in utter denial, calling for an answer to "where are the indian scientists", hasn't seemed to have contributed either to empirical science, his country, or his [deleted * unnecessary provocation].

    7. [deleted * repetition].

    in other words -- GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE, YOU [deleted * expletive]!!

    from,
    a fellow atheist
    bangalore, india
    akshay@mindless.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Axe:

    I have posted your commented removing some expletives. Please make sure you do not use those words on my blog - next time I will be rejecting your comments.

    Its my way of saying to a kid, "No dirty language please".

    ReplyDelete
  5. ok, fair enough. but please tell us -- what have you created? what have you done? what have you changed so much for the good that gives you the authority to deride the rest of us?

    ps: kindly remove the email address from the above post. i already get enough junk mail as it is. thanks.

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  6. Axe:

    ok, fair enough. but please tell us -- what have you created? what have you done? what have you changed so much for the good that gives you the authority to deride the rest of us?

    I do not discuss what I do in my private life on this blog for reasons that are obvious- because certain obnoxious people lurk these waters and I have some bitter experiences sharing what I do in my life with such people.

    I would like to answer your question in another way.

    I am an ordinary and simple Indian with simple expectations from this country. For its part, I want this country to be beautiful, be just and fair, accommodating all the people. I want it to follow what it said in its preamble (of Indian Constitution).

    As for my part, I do not do those things I criticize here on my blog. The list of the things that I criticize is quite long and things that I don’t do tends to be that long.

    I do not participate in those things that make this country ugly (the way I have defined Ugliness in my blog).

    I do not assume that I have an authority that I can impose onto others. Instead, I fight for a state where such freedom lies with every Indian to criticize and be heard (without having to win a title or a medal to earn that freedom).

    You ask- “what have you changed so much for the good that gives you the authority to deride the rest of us?”

    There are two types of people who visit my blog. There are those who think they are on this side of the fence, along with me- and then there are those who think they belong to the other side of the fence – rightly titled ‘rest of us’.

    Those who think they are on my side of the fence have certain expectations from this country and they do their best NOT to add filth and contribute to the ugliness of this country. On the other hand, the ‘rest of us’ feel insulted by this blog because they are the ones who feel targeted by this blog- only because they are ones who feel guilty for having contributed to the ugliness of this country. [Ugliness as defined by this blog].

    It’s up to each of you to ask yourself and know which side of the fence you belong to.

    Are you contributing to the ugliness as targeted by this blog? Are you the one harboring the sentiments this blog criticizes? Are you the one doing those things this blog criticizes?
    OR
    Are you the one who gets affected by this ugliness? Are you the one who tries to fight this ugliness each day and in each of your actions?

    I think you have already decided this for yourself. Good for you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The world population could not be categorized as simply as pro-sujai and anti-sujai.

    There are two types of people who visit my blog. There are those who think they are on this side of the fence, along with me- and then there are those who think they belong to the other side of the fence – rightly titled ‘rest of us’.

    There is a third type which includes people who are trying to do all good things (and not do the wrong things as listed by you) without spitting venom. You forget about this third type. If you do a survey of your readers (and that is indicative of the broader Indian population), you would find that this category is the most prevalent. That is the reason I am very hopeful and optimistic about our country. Things are far from where we would like to be but I see a lot of people ready to take initiative and change.

    You just need to understand that the there are different paths to doing all the good things that we want to bring to Telangana, India and ultimately to this world. Your view is not necessarily the ONLY right view to reach our common goal. Learn to respect the differences in the viewpoints and not try to create hostilities by overly-simplistic generalizations.

    - Bodhiswaha.

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  8. I am an ordinary and simple Indian with simple expectations from this country. For its part, I want this country to be beautiful, be just and fair, accommodating all the people.

    don't you, for a minute, think that you're the only one who harbours such sentiments. most citizens certainly yearn for all those things you mentioned. but, wishful thinking never changed anything. repeating, ad infintum, your criticism, and deeming all indians to be "idiots" doesn't help your cause.

    while it is commendable that you don't indulge in the behaviour you decry, how does expressing your cynical, pessimistic judgements assist in changing the ground realities? there are several organizations, government & non-government, consisting of genuinely interested people trying to usher in a sense of social responsibility -- why not proactively get involved and actually help, as opposed to being an armchair critic?

    There are two types of people who visit my blog. There are those who think they are on this side of the fence, along with me- and then there are those who think they belong to the other side of the fence rightly titled ‘rest of us’.

    oh, please. don't try to make this an us-versus-them issue. we're all in the same boat. these people, who you claim are "on your side of the fence", do they actually invest their time, money & effort in making a difference? why be such a misanthrope if you seriously understand the practical difficulties in bringing about the changes you'd like to see? and if you're uninterested in involving your own resources, then doesn't all the putrid flak on your blog equally apply to you, and those on "your side"?

    Are you contributing to the ugliness as targeted by this blog? Are you the one harboring the sentiments this blog criticizes? Are you the one doing those things this blog criticizes?
    OR
    Are you the one who gets affected by this ugliness? Are you the one who tries to fight this ugliness each day and in each of your actions?


    people continue to behave as they do because of their apathy. if every single one of us got on the internet and started spewing judgements, all the while not acting upon a single word we claim to hold so dear, would it change a thing? some of us, indeed, try to do our bit -- not throwing crap on the road, refusing to pay bribes etc, but is this enough in a country where the majority simply refuse to accept responsibility -- "chodo yaar, chalta hai". shouldn't the few with a social consiousness try to educate the rest to see the long-term consequences of their actions? you can never teach a kid the alphabet by insulting his intelligence. you, my well-meaning friend, are trying to insult our intelligence -- not the majority's, but the minority's, the ones who care.

    http://www.cseindia.org/
    http://www.ecofriends.org/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Bodiswaha and Axe:

    The world population could not be categorized as simply as pro-sujai and anti-sujai.

    I do not consider people on my side of fence pro-sujai.

    Those who are on my side of the fence may disagree with my methods but are genuinely concerned about the state of India and would like to contribute towards its betterment (by at least not contributing towards its ugliness). They are the ones who are ready to admit that yes, we don’t stand in line, yes, we are obsessed with marks and scores, yes, we are not tolerant as we proclaim to be, yes, we are not giving access to opportunity to certain minorities and downtrodden.

    I don’t expect these people, who are on my side of the fence, to agree with my methods on how to improve things, but yes, I do expect them to share the concern. They don’t have to agree with me on methods to improve Telangana, but they would be agreeing that yes, there is backwardness in Telangana, and yes, there is apathy in India. They may not agree with me on my observations on why this ugliness occurs, but at least they have to admit that ugliness exists.

    Those who are on the other side of fence get offended when I show them this ugliness. They defend ardently and sometimes quite vociferously their stance that there is nothing ugly about it. They are the ones who get offended and quite upset by my writings. They ask, ‘who the hell are you to teach us?’

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  10. There is a very nice dialogue in the movie "Tare Zameen Par" - where the parents who just see all the ugly things in the dyslexic kid and not see and enhance the creative side are told by Amir (the teacher) Khan about this "tree curse island".

    In this tree curse island if the people have to get rid of a tree they just crowd around the tree and start cursing and telling all bad things about the tree - and the tree dies down just with those curses.

    India is like that tree where a lot of good needs to be pointed out and enhanced. Agree, there are deficiencies that we all need to work on (e.g. the flying and dancing words for a dyslexic kid) but there are other capabilities e.g. the imaginative, creative brain of this kid that need to be told, admired and nurtured. This is one of the fundamental differnces between "this side" and "that side".

    "They" do not say that there is nothing ugly, they say please do not see only all the ugly things, please do admire a few good things that we have as well.

    Those who are on the other side of fence get offended when I show them this ugliness.

    This assumes that you are the only one who sees this ugliness while the "other side" is blind.

    They defend ardently and sometimes quite vociferously their stance that there is nothing ugly about it.

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  11. This assumes that you are the only one who sees this ugliness while the "other side" is blind.

    I define two sides as 'those who recognize and critique the ugliness' and 'those who do not admit the ugliness'. I do not think they are actually blind. I just think they consciously chose to be blind.

    My definition of idiot (when I refer to Indians) is that they have consciously chosen not to use their intellect to reason thus completely wasting away their massive supercomputer like brain.

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  12. I do not think they are actually blind. I just think they consciously chose to be blind.

    I searched your Blog with all the "good" keywords and all I could find were the deficiencies, problems and more problems. Do you also consciously choose to be blind to the beauty in India and Indians? Do you see a parallel here with the other side? Why do your posts only highlight the ugly part? Why not the good, bad and the ugly - all of it - just as it is? Why does your side choose to filter?

    Sujai: What do you call the side that is neither on your side (looks for only all the bad and ugly) nor on their side (that just looks for all the good)? What do you call the Axes of the world who go and participate in Eco Friends?What do you call a side that acknowledges all the problems (and try to correct it by actions) and also find and appreciate beauty in India and Indians? I refuse to call them idiots like you do.

    May be building venn diagrams with the different sets of people (refresh your high-school mathematics and set theory) would help you think about this. You would find out that the universe has other categories as well and hopefully, you would find out that the majority of this universe set falls outside your narrow definitions.

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  13. Anonymous:

    It would have been better if you had given yourself a name before you started asking me these questions.

    Do you also consciously choose to be blind to the beauty in India and Indians?

    I try my best to look for something beautiful in India. Rarely do I find it. On the other hand the ugliness is overwhelming.

    I do I find beauty in individuals, but there is ugliness in India’s mobs, communities and societies.

    Why do your posts only highlight the ugly part?

    Because that’s what is occupying me most of my time at this age of mine. When I was a kid, everything was so beautiful. When I was young it was romantic. Now, I take on serious aspects of life and try to understand why we are the way we are. And the answers are not that pretty.

    Why not the good, bad and the ugly - all of it - just as it is?

    Ask an artist why he paints only landscapes, or an author why she writes only love stories, or a director why he makes only horror movies. What answer do you get?

    This is my work, and this is what I want to do at this juncture in my life. Few years from now I might be doing something else.

    Either you like what I write or you don’t. I don’t pander to my audiences – I have said that many a times before. You are free to go to another place where people write ‘good’ stuff.

    Having said that I do find few things beautiful and I have mentioned that in this blog- like India’s democracy, or PSLV launch, or Lage Raho Munnabhai. Those are my small glimpses into the beautiful India. As I said, I see beauty in individuals, and I have not decided to write about them as yet.

    Sujai: What do you call the side that is neither on your side (looks for only all the bad and ugly) nor on their side (that just looks for all the good)?

    I did not say that I (and my side) look ‘for only all the bad and ugly’. I said that we recognize and critique ugliness when we see it. I did not say that the other side ‘looks for all the good’. I said they consciously chose to turn a blind eye when they see something ugly and refuse to admit that it was indeed ugly.

    [I am repeating myself here just because you deliberately and stubbornly refuse to acknowledge how I define these two sides of the fence.]

    What do you call a side that acknowledges all the problems (and try to correct it by actions) and also find and appreciate beauty in India and Indians?

    Acknowledging all problems and trying to correct is what I try to do in this blog. I have not given to pandering and trying to be politically correct. When there is a need to appreciate beauty in India, I guess I would do that.

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  14. When there is a need to appreciate beauty in India, I guess I would do that.

    While you are waiting for that day, we are trying hard to create good things in India so you get more good things to talk about. In the near term, while you are at identifying problems, it would be great if you could also look at problems outside the caste, religion and politics realms. There are a number of problems related to poverty, hunger, water and environment which affect all of us irrespective of the labels that this world puts on us. I guess it is a question of focus and you have decided to focus on caste and religion while turning a blind eye to these other fundamental problems.

    - Bodhiswaha

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  15. Bodhiswaha-

    While you are waiting for that day, we are trying hard to create good things in India so you get more good things to talk about.

    What makes you think and assume that I do not do my part in trying to create good things in India?

    In the near term, while you are at identifying problems, it would be great if you could also look at problems outside the caste, religion and politics realms. There are a number of problems related to poverty, hunger, water and environment

    There you go again. Very stubborn in not trying to see the picture even when it is laid out in front of you!

    I have made it clear that I do not see poverty as a problem. I see it as a symptom. I do not see hunger as a problem. I see it as a symptom.

    I do consider water [3] one area for India to work on ‘to better India’. The other two areas to work on are – Primary Education [1] and Roads [2]. I do consider our attitude towards environment to be a problem (but I look at it as a secondary problem).

    All in all I see problems of India to be its intolerance, its irrationality, its greediness, its myopia, its apathy, as I discussed in this blog.

    Why should I write about something I do not consider as important? If you think hunger is an important issue, please write about it on your blog. Why insist on what I should be writing?

    I guess it is a question of focus and you have decided to focus on caste and religion while turning a blind eye to these other fundamental problems.

    There you go again. Very obstinate kid you are! How many times do I have to repeat myself? I do not share your views on what constitute fundamental problems. Just because you think hunger is a fundamental problem does not mean I should think the same. If you think it is a fundamental problem, please work towards that. Meanwhile, let me work towards understanding and explaining what I think are far more serious problems in the long run.

    Thank you.

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  16. I do consider our attitude towards environment to be a problem (but I look at it as a secondary problem).

    Very obstinate kid you are!


    Good luck Sir! You have gained enough experience with your age and probably know things better than me. After all, I am just a kid. May be, this is just one of your prejudices. May be, Indian kids today know better than what you think of them. May be, you are at a stage of life where you are choosing the battles that you think are right for you. Do not expect the kids today to think that you are coming from some very high ethical ground.

    Both of us dream of a "better India". I admire you for your tenacity and erudition. I do agree about your views on need for better education and infrastructure as well. I salute you for those efforts and I would love to hear about those more than the extraneous stuff. But, it is your Blog. Keep rocking!

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  17. My definition of idiot (when I refer to Indians) is that they have consciously chosen not to use their intellect to reason thus completely wasting away their massive supercomputer like brain.

    Hmmm...so how would you feel if Einstein called you an idiot when it came to understanding and explaining the cosmos? Because if you slide the scale, the same relationship that holds between you and those you call "idiots," would hold for an Einstein-like genius and you. Would being called an idiot inspire you to work harder to change things? Would you call your kids idiots?

    You have a scientific mind, so you can easily do an analysis whether all the work you do (which you don't talk about) and your posts here - whether they have caused people to change for the better - and include not only the lady you mentioned in another comment, but everyone who was affected by your posts - both positive and negative. If you only focus on the lady, then that's filtering and unscientific.

    I also think our personal relationships in life also influence how we look at the world.
    -chirkut

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  18. Chirkut:

    Nice tête-à-tête, but I am getting exhausted.

    Hmmm...so how would you feel if Einstein called you an idiot when it came to understanding and explaining the cosmos?

    There you go again. I am not sure why you unnecessarily waste away your time and then my time. I never said that ‘idiocy’ is a comparison of intelligence or understanding. I defined it as conscious abandonment of one’s reasoning and intelligence.

    If someone tried his best to understand cosmos (but failed to understand) that does not make him an idiot (in my definition). On the other hand, if a person who is well-equipped to understand cosmos consciously abandons his reasoning abilities and ignores his own understanding to embrace some irrational model to explain cosmos, then I do call him an idiot.

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  19. Anonymous:

    Do not expect the kids today to think that you are coming from some very high ethical ground.

    I do not discuss ethics or morality on my blog. I consider ethics and morals to be completely subjective, which change with time and place.

    Therefore, I do not consider myself to be at a higher ethical (or moral) ground.

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  20. Hi Sujai,
    I have commented on one of your posts before. I think you are doing a good job enlightening people to see the bad thats happening. If everyone see only the good and are blind to the bad, where or how will improvement come in our society? It is very sad that people try to criticize someone who is trying to do some good.
    Anyway you have a very intelligent and informative blog.

    A cautious optimist.

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  21. Aha, but how do you know that they have consciously chosen to abandon their intelligence? Maybe they just haven't looked at the issue from an angle from which you're looking at it. As for time, I have plenty of it to "waste" so don't worry about it. ;)
    -chirkut

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  22. "I try my best to look for something beautiful in India. Rarely do I find it. On the other hand the ugliness is overwhelming.

    I do I find beauty in individuals, but there is ugliness in India’s mobs, communities and societies."

    Do you really mean it or whether you have put wrong phrase to express your feelings?. It sounds harsh and arrogant. I am curious to know which mobs, communities and societies looks beautiful to you.

    Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Are you not finding anything beautiful in the society which provided free education to you?.

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  23. Sujai,
    "I try my best to look for something beautiful in India. Rarely do I find it. On the other hand the ugliness is overwhelming"

    Everything in this world has two sides, beauty side and ugly side.(Indians,Hinduism,Islam or Reservation etc)

    For example beauty side of Sujai is(In my opinion), he does n't attack anybody personally, does n't use abusive or bad words(Other blogs are flooded with fart,f** Advani etc),having clarity of thinking, excellent writing style etc. Other side of Sujai is opinions are biased in some cases, opinions are formed in many cases without analysing underlying data etc.

    I request you to think and see beauty/ugly side on any issue. If somebody says there is no beauty side on many issues then probably problem may be with the eye. I hope I have not hurt you.

    ReplyDelete

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