Do blogs lead to hypocrisy?
Before I try to give an answer I first want to say that I think blogs are a wonderful tool to express ourselves, to connect with people we'd never meet otherwise, to have discussions with the like-minded and those who disagree strongly with us, to be blessed and to be challenged, to be informed and to be inspired, and sometimes to just have a good laugh.
At the same time, it is a very narrow and carefully guarded window into our soul - not only for understandable reasons of privacy and proper boundaries but also because of the public image that is projected. As honest and as authentic we may try to be in our posts, and as cathartic many of our online confessions regarding our personal shortcomings may feel, we are still very much concerned about the impression our words will make on those who read it and what they may think of us as a result.
I would even go a step further and claim that subconsciously we may try to convince ourselves that the sanitized portrait we upload through our blogs is our only true self and what's being left out doesn't really matter.
The Greek roots of the word "hypocrite" points to someone who puts on a mask; it was the common term used for an actor in the Greek theatre. To what degree are our blogs attempts to mask rather than reveal? This may vary from person to person but if we're obsessively concerned about who is visiting our site and how many people are leaving comments, it is probably a strong indicator that our vanity and thirst for approval may play a bigger role in our motivation than we'd normally be willing to admit.
I'm not saying we're necessarily intentionally deceptive in what we say but it's definitely not the whole story either. Can the (at least partial) mask be avoided? I'm inclined to say No as far as the sobering biblical picture of our old nature is concerned. But I do believe that we can learn to seek and find our identity and the fulfilment of our need for recognition and approval in the One who always sees behind the mask and the full picture and still affirms and loves us no matter what.
There's a secret blog in our conversations with Him where we can be real without fear.
And now that you've read this incredibly profound post with its deep thoughts, I hope you're very impressed with me! :-)
