Hypocrisy, "Worth it," etc.

Following up on my "celebrity" post from a few weeks ago, I had to laugh at an e-mail/newsletter I received. The title of an article in it was "57 Celebrities Who Have Run Marathons."  On a lark I looked through it, chuckling when I recognized about a dozen of the names, that's all.  "Celebrities?"  I guess not in my book.

I normally don't follow much in the way of the sports world.  But one recent story intrigued me.  Apparently the University of Michigan basketball coach is being considered for and is considering the Detroit Pistons coaching position.  Hmmm.....  I wonder why.  There has been speculation, a number of theories.  One is that he's positioning for more money from U of M.  Maybe.  He's getting about $4 million now.  To me, how much more does one need?  That's more than most of us will earn in our entire lifetimes, let alone one year.  Maybe the lure of double that annually is strong.  Another is that he might be eager to challenge himself on the highest level, the NBA.  Hmmm.  I wonder.  Is the NBA "the highest level?"  Surely it is pay-wise.  But who is to say it's the epitome of coaching levels?  Is coaching a Division I college team somehow "higher" than one in Division II or III?  Is, for instance, teaching at the high school or even college level something "higher" than say, teaching kindergarten or first grade?  I don't think so in either case.  Besides, and this might well just be me and my value and views, I can't imagine a better coaching job than at a small Division III school.  Maybe it's ego, the allure of bigger bucks, being on "the big or bigger stage" (celebrity?), etc.  Still, I think it's a thoughtful issue.

I found myself acting hypocritically the other day.  I guess I realized it at the time, but didn't change my behavior/plans.  The specifics are not relevant and it was nothing major.  It was not a question of good or bad, but more of better and not better.  Nevertheless, I chose poorly.

It seems we are surrounded by hypocrisy today.  I know people are not perfect; they make mistakes.  And I also realize that it's not always easy to live completely principled lives all of the time or maybe even most of the time.  Still, the hypocrisy hangs from the trees.  I don't know if it's good that I recognize when I am a hypocrite.  But it seems to me most folks don't--or don't care if they are.

I think those who tick me off the most are the ones who constantly or at least often call others "greedy" or "mean-spirited."  Yet, it frequently, in fact as often as not, turns out these same name-callers spend tons of money--on lavish vacations that last for weeks, on expensive cars (often many of them, sometimes more cars than there are drivers in the household), golf/country club memberships, $40 and $50 bottles of wine for everyday dinner, etc.  Yet in their own eyes, they aren't the greedy ones; it's always the other guys who are.  I don't care how people spend their money; that's the key with me:  it's their money!  I have no business telling others how to spend their own earned money.  And neither do these hypocrites, unless......

Unless they stop spending on these vacations, drop their country/golf club memberships, buy cars more in tune with what most folks buy, give up their pools that have decks with more square footage than my house, etc.  (OK, they don't have to resort to Boone's Farm or Paisano, but how about good wines that cost half or less of what they now spend?)  Again, I have no problem with how people spend their money; it's theirs.  What irks me is those who live one way while preaching another message.  They want to spend their own money how they want, but also want to tell others how to spend, too.  I would be far less critical if they cut back on their own spending and donated more to charity or, ahem, voluntarily paid more in taxes.

And that leads to something else I came across recently, something I hear regularly.  I think the first time I heard this was decades ago, maybe the  L'Oreal television commercial that claimed, "...because you're worth it."  Similarly, somebody last week said, "...because I deserve it."  Well, maybe he/she does; maybe not.  What makes people think they "deserve" something or are "worth it?"  Now, if someone has worked toward a goal or an achievement, "deserve" and "worth" certainly are in the picture.  But, just 'cuz?  I don't think so, Tim.  It reminds me of a tee shirt I saw on a kid maybe 30 or more years ago.  It read, "I'm Somebody Because God Didn't Make No Junk."  (Yes, I know......)  I hope nobody believes that because there is a lot of "junk" out there among us.

In the same light, we can work hard, save, etc. so that we really "deserve" something.  But that doesn't ensure we will be rewarded.  That, of course, can be sad.  But it can also be a situation where we can learn a few hard facts of life.  And it can also be a time where we realize that the journey can be worth as much as the destination.