The times are changing. In predominantly Anglican and Protestant parts of the West, where we lead the way in terms of de-Christianization and ideological self-destruction, swearing by political goals such as “redistribution of wealth,” “affirmative action,” and “reduction of greenhouse gasses,” we used to have a rather condescending attitude towards the alleged evils of Catholicism.

The story goes that, before the Reformation, we competed to appear pious and bought letters of indulgence so as to escape purgatory. This endeavor struck those of us, who were brought up to distrust the papacy, as ridiculous. Confident in our own judgment, we tended to laugh and shake our heads at the calculation and credulity, respectively, of merchant clerics (pardoners) and purchasers. “Honestly, the things people put up with in the Dark Ages!” Today, however, we line up to buy carbon dioxide quotas. The hypocrisy is stunning, as the concept is basically the same: Appearance is everything.

For the purpose of an overview, it makes sense to operate with three prototypes in the given context of human behaviors: (a) the self-absorbed, immature youth who just wants to be “where the action is” but is without any deeper allegiance in life, being too lazy to pursue any paranoid hypotheses, (b) the deeply darkened soul, whose personal style has precluded him from closer bonding and cheerful togetherness, leading him to indulge in violent fantasies of revenge on humanity for its rejection of him, and (c) the reticent person, unsure of his own worth, who renounces his natural life expression, severely hampered by his anxiety, but dreams of a caring community, where he may finally dare to let loose and exchange feelings with others. (Some of the type-b people, unable to socialize on normal terms, may gradually turn delusional and imagine that they are in fact better than others and put into the world to accomplish something greater.)

As to the present state of morality in our society, it would appear that there is no higher standard than “being on the side of the oppressed.” According to this line of thought, morality is about the struggle for social justice, applying the principles of socialism (Marxism). The Western college student of our time, though trying to find his own feet in life, refuses to humble himself and consult his god in prayers (or seek the advice of his servants), of course. Infatuated and filled with tenderness, he looks at himself in the mirror (or through the lens of his cell phone) like some Narcissus. Instead of showing courage, reflecting soberly, and taking an independent point of view, however, he gives in to the pressure and surrenders to irrationality. Intoxicated by the revolutionary disinformation presented on social media, which gives him an intense (and much desired) experience of community, he indulges in rehearsed displays of solidarity. When doing so, he avoids exposing himself to immediate danger and may very well feel invulnerable. The group becomes his (temporary) refuge in life. He does not have to think for himself or act on his own. For a moral stance to be acceptable, it must be shared by a perceived majority of those dedicated to the cause of the oppressed. Morality effectively moves from the conscience of the individual to the community. As has been evident in recent protest marches across the West, sharing a revolutionary (anti-Western) group identity, whatever the cause, has completely taken over the place from moral conviction.

Far from anybody who condemns the Western way of life, including liberalism and consumerism, is literally a hypocrite. Some people, who are strangers to the political elite, being too uncompromising (or eccentric) to mingle with the real decision makers, and mainly operate on the fringes of society, are willing to take the moral cleansing beyond the symbolic. You cannot make peace with them. Socially maladapted and conceited at the same time, they are driven by an implacable hatred of civilization, orderliness, and legality — and a sick ambition to destroy, revenge, and dominate: the spirit of revolution. More often than not, they harbor secret visions of a Western world ravaged and brought down by the oppressed. Determined to make it pay for the colonialist (or racist) sins of the past, they toy with the idea of ​​inflicting upon the rest of us privations unparalleled in history. They are, for the sake of comparison, fanatics rather than hypocrites.

As in the case of activists who passionately fight for the “environment” or “animal welfare,” to observe the personal transformation from a timid, inhibited dwarf, who does not dare to stand up for himself, to a fearless, roaring giant is a captivating psychological study. In the absence of a loving god who instills serenity and confidence in the world, the political cause, e.g. “social justice” or “climate change” (for some, e.g. Greta Thunberg, inextricably linked with each other), becomes the meaning of life, a holy commandment, rallying those who are like moral orphans and rousing them to action. As resurrected from the misery of isolation and loneliness, they realize themselves in the struggle for a higher cause, conditioning the dramatic shift from one to the other form of behavior. Their original desperation is converted into contempt for death. Like mad dogs, they attack the oppressors of this sinful world without hesitation.

Expressing as much sympathy for the oppressed (i.e. the “designated” victims of the world) as antipathy to the oppressors (i.e. the sinners) is of decisive importance for your position in the digital community. If you are keen to cultivate your image as “right-minded,” i.e. aware of your social responsibility in the never-ending struggle between good and evil, giving due attention to appearances and following the fashion trends in attitudes, you must subscribe to the social media (like practically everybody else) and make sure to align with the trendsetters. This self-centered, ludicrously narcissistic strategy requires a minimum of spiritual effort. As a special style of social adaptation, it exposes a striking lack of personal courage — and commitment to truth. Therefore, on the one hand, we may claim to live in the age of the self-righteous. On the other hand, deep down, the people who love to see themselves perform and take up space on social media remain much like the trivial, submissive, and cowardly characters of the past, also those crowding to reach the booth with the indulgences. Any age, it seems, is really an age of the self-righteous. That is part of who we are as humans. As a basic condition in life, we are scared and always have been, make no mistake. Nevertheless, those who are vainly disposed refuse to admit it and live in denial.

The affluent society of the West has produced a youth who blames previous generations for the plight of the oppressed, and self-absorbedly he fashions himself as the savior of the world; at the same time, he refuses to give up the luxuries denied to others. Unmoved by the contradiction, he enjoys the privilege of being able to party around the clock and forget all the doomsday prophecies that, in fierce competition with the abusive life conditions under a tyranny, might weigh on the minds of young people elsewhere.

As always, in the face of an erratic, unforgiving, and powerful organization, be it a crime syndicate, a political movement, or a recognized state, it is incomparably safer to attack the party from which you have nothing to fear in the way of violent repercussions, than the party associated with a history of indiscriminate violence. Something similar applies at the individual level: If you are a coward at the core of your soul, you prefer to humor the bully and blame his victim rather than the other way around.

Self-staging in the ultramodern, theatrical way in order to pretend indignation, concern, or pity when, in fact, they are intimidated by the very object of their chosen group, sympathy must rank as the greatest self-deception of the self-righteous. Thus, the coward lies to himself and the rest of the world. Hypocrisy and cowardice are really two sides of the same coin.

Image: Public domain.