"Why?" asked I, "Because its Christmas?" She nodded emphatically, encouraging me to continue. "To be philanthropical during Christmas is fake. To do it as a show for your children is phony as they'll know its all an act for their benefit. Sure, be good, but do it when nobody is looking and for yourself and not during Christmas."
Now the momentum has gone. So J wants her daughter's slice of the carol money we had agreed would go to charity. "She earnt it and I must let her do what she wants with it," was her muffled excuse as she collected her daughter's thirty pieces of silver (18 euros and 12 cents to be exact). After all, it's no longer Christmas.
People are such hypocrites. Pharisees. I always wonder why it even surprises me. My friends are no exception. Every Saturday morning for the last two years a group of us have been showing without fail for our morning ritual of coffee and discussion about the fundamental questions of life. We talk about books, religion, politics, history, charity, wonderful things and of course grouse about our husbands. It's all such idle banter. Chit chat. Nonsense swaddled in pseudo-intellectual cloth.
It makes us feel good pretending that we care about a better world as long as it feeds our own self-absorption.
Yes, folks. These are my Saturday morning friends. Kind and educated women full of grand ideas never quite put into practice. Upstanding members of the community with impressive professional backgrounds and enough intellect to clothe their own hypocrisy.
Why do I even bother with them? Because I, too, am such a woman. A fraud. Superficial in my own way...Aren't we all?
1 comment:
Have to agree that most people have intentions that are usually pure, but actions are slow to follow.
I love your purple cow... I did a post once called Purple Cow. My husband was reading the Seth Godin book about being above and beyond...standing out, being that purple cow. It was really good.
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