Sitting on the fence
For what is a man advantaged,
if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast
away? Luke
9:25
I recently visited with an acquaintance and our conversation turned to the topic of hypocrisy. I know this man to be one who speaks his mind and who means what he says. Our visit brought to mind a Sunday sermon from long ago.
The minister was speaking of salvation and he was warning his listeners that they could not sit on a fence. They either must make a commitment one way or another. I recalled at the time a photograph taken of a cousin and I when I was about six years of age.
There was a large family dinner at my aunt and uncle's farm. When dinner was finished my cousin and I had gone out to sit on a rail fence behind the kitchen. Someone came to take our picture. As I had carried a chicken leg with me upon which I was eating, I laid the piece of chicken beside me for the picture. In the photo you can see it neatly laid beside my right leg.
We were sitting on the fence with both legs on one side of it. Now at the time of the sermon I pictured that type of fence sitting. But I think the minister was really attempting to create a picture of a person straddling a fence with one leg on one side and the other on the opposite. He was speaking of attempting to "have it both ways" in life and of avoiding a decision or commitment. So what you really have is a person who is practicing hypocrisy.
I found this definition of a hypocrite:
One who plays a part; one who, for the purpose of winning approbation or favor, feigns to be other and better than he is; a false pretender to virtue.
My acquaintance defined a hypocrite as a "person who doesn't walk their talk". I think his definition is rather to the point. He is speaking of someone who simply says one thing but does another; someone unwilling to make a commitment and do as he says he believes.
In E. M. Forster's novel Where Angels Fear to Tread we find three individuals who have traveled to Italy with the purpose of bringing a little boy back to England. The uncle of the child really does not have any commitment to the task at hand. He says he will do the best he can in the venture, but if things get too difficult he would rather be able to return to England having an "honorable failure" than to get to involved.
He is admonished by one of his traveling companions when she says, "Settle which side you'll fight on. But don't go talking about an 'honorable failure,' which means simply not thinking and not acting at all." She continues by stating, "...when you see what's right you're too idle to do it. You told me once that we shall be judged by our intentions, not by our accomplishments. I thought it a grand remark. But we must intent to accomplish--not sit intending on a chair."
She is saying that we must take a stand and do as we say and believe. We must walk our talk. You and I know that that is a difficult thing to do. Just how easy is it to walk our talk? The answer should be "real easy". There used to be a Missouri personalized license plate which I saw each day that read "ITSEZ2". However, in our everyday lives it seems easier to be the hypocrite.
We find ourselves saying one thing but not really intending even to follow through the live as we have processed we believe. We never intend to walk our talk. Because we don't want to lose favor in the eyes of our friends, we go along with others, we say that "something must be done". This has gone far enough. But, we are too idle to do anything. We simply sit intending, but never accomplishing.
As the character in the novel states, if anything is to be improved then the time must arrive when we intend to accomplish. Have you grown tired of hearing that something must be done? Have you, as have I found yourself saying that? It is time for us to walk our talk? Or shall we just continue to sit intending on our chair?
"There's never any knowing which of our actions, which of our idlenesses won't have things hanging on it forever."
Where Angels Fear to Tread, E. M. Forster
I recently visited with an acquaintance and our conversation turned to the topic of hypocrisy. I know this man to be one who speaks his mind and who means what he says. Our visit brought to mind a Sunday sermon from long ago.
The minister was speaking of salvation and he was warning his listeners that they could not sit on a fence. They either must make a commitment one way or another. I recalled at the time a photograph taken of a cousin and I when I was about six years of age.
There was a large family dinner at my aunt and uncle's farm. When dinner was finished my cousin and I had gone out to sit on a rail fence behind the kitchen. Someone came to take our picture. As I had carried a chicken leg with me upon which I was eating, I laid the piece of chicken beside me for the picture. In the photo you can see it neatly laid beside my right leg.
We were sitting on the fence with both legs on one side of it. Now at the time of the sermon I pictured that type of fence sitting. But I think the minister was really attempting to create a picture of a person straddling a fence with one leg on one side and the other on the opposite. He was speaking of attempting to "have it both ways" in life and of avoiding a decision or commitment. So what you really have is a person who is practicing hypocrisy.
I found this definition of a hypocrite:
One who plays a part; one who, for the purpose of winning approbation or favor, feigns to be other and better than he is; a false pretender to virtue.
My acquaintance defined a hypocrite as a "person who doesn't walk their talk". I think his definition is rather to the point. He is speaking of someone who simply says one thing but does another; someone unwilling to make a commitment and do as he says he believes.
In E. M. Forster's novel Where Angels Fear to Tread we find three individuals who have traveled to Italy with the purpose of bringing a little boy back to England. The uncle of the child really does not have any commitment to the task at hand. He says he will do the best he can in the venture, but if things get too difficult he would rather be able to return to England having an "honorable failure" than to get to involved.
He is admonished by one of his traveling companions when she says, "Settle which side you'll fight on. But don't go talking about an 'honorable failure,' which means simply not thinking and not acting at all." She continues by stating, "...when you see what's right you're too idle to do it. You told me once that we shall be judged by our intentions, not by our accomplishments. I thought it a grand remark. But we must intent to accomplish--not sit intending on a chair."
She is saying that we must take a stand and do as we say and believe. We must walk our talk. You and I know that that is a difficult thing to do. Just how easy is it to walk our talk? The answer should be "real easy". There used to be a Missouri personalized license plate which I saw each day that read "ITSEZ2". However, in our everyday lives it seems easier to be the hypocrite.
We find ourselves saying one thing but not really intending even to follow through the live as we have processed we believe. We never intend to walk our talk. Because we don't want to lose favor in the eyes of our friends, we go along with others, we say that "something must be done". This has gone far enough. But, we are too idle to do anything. We simply sit intending, but never accomplishing.
As the character in the novel states, if anything is to be improved then the time must arrive when we intend to accomplish. Have you grown tired of hearing that something must be done? Have you, as have I found yourself saying that? It is time for us to walk our talk? Or shall we just continue to sit intending on our chair?
"There's never any knowing which of our actions, which of our idlenesses won't have things hanging on it forever."
Where Angels Fear to Tread, E. M. Forster
Posted: Wed - January 4, 2006 at 02:33 PM
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In a museum most people spend less than twenty seconds looking at a work of art."
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Published On: Jan 04, 2006 02:34 PM
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Published On: Jan 04, 2006 02:34 PM