It has seriously dawned on me lately how few people actually DO walk their own talk. I guess that is our flaw as humans - our ideals are greater than our frail wills can handle.
I remember meeting "J", the (then) new wife of a colleague, back when I worked at a venture fund. She was perfect, tall, blonde and gorgeous - smart and well-educated, with a fabulous career leading nature adventure expeditions. She talked of holistic lifestyles and championed regular meditation, whole and raw organic foods, aromatherapy and massage. I admired her sense of adventure and fearlessness of all things outdoors and health-conscious. So, when I saw her dragging away on a cigarette behind the building, the image was clearly compromised. What else about this seemingly perfect individual wasn't what she talked herself up to be? We've all seen it...the "vegetarian" pigging out on the occasional cheeseburger, the "environmentalist" chucking a plastic bottle in with the regular trash...you know the drill.
There is probably no need to mention (but I will anyway) the countless religious "leaders" who have fallen from grace, the Catholic priests, the televangelists, the archbishops, and the tent revivalists. Yet, people are always willing to forgive and forget, and they eagerly welcome a new face with the same message.
Is it their conviction alone that inspires? I am not sure. It seems as if those with the most conviction also fall the farthest.
Still, I believe we need our convictions to keep us on a "path". We will all surely fall from the path and fall short of our own, and others' expectations. But I would rather live a principled, albeit highly imperfect life, than a life with no principle at all. I try to walk my talk, but I don't beat myself up too hard if I occasionally screw it up. Perhaps that makes me a hypocrite, but I prefer to think it just makes me human.
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