I’m going to admit something awful. I’m a hypocrite. I don’t try to hide that. I advocate using one’s resources to make the world a better place, and yet I do a poor job of that myself. I think that raising animals for food is wrong, and yet I still eat meat. I cannot justify these actions in any way that I feel comfortable about.

And really, that’s the point.

It would be simple for me to find a reason why I don’t care about the suffering of others. Overpopulation is an easy excuse, and it’s one I’ve reached for in the past. There are an endless number of excuses I can reach for to justify eating meat. I have no doubt that I could make a show of defending these positions if I chose to take them.

However if I give myself excuses, then I will hide behind them. And if I believe my own excuses, then I won’t even try to change my behaviour. What’s worse, I may even try to justify the behaviour of others who adopt the same behaviour as myself.

Despite the stigma associated with being a hypocrite, and despite the cognitive dissonance it causes, being a hypocrite provides me with something very valuable: it still allows me to improve myself, and the world, for the better. That social and mental discomfort pushes me towards more ethical choices, and it allows me to support others who are improving in the same way.

If you really want me to challenge your beliefs, then I will, but I would rather welcome you to join me in my hypocrisy. Admit that the suffering of others is important—on a global scale—but that we both personally have a lot left to be done to improve our own responses to that.

~ Paul

This post was originally made as a comment on another thread regarding ethics. I’ve posted it here—with minor edits—for a wider audience.