In Praise of Hypocrisy One of the world's most universally admired sages once taught, "Woe unto . . . you hypocrites." Ironically, this may have been one of the most pernicious teachings of all time. Yes, hypocrisy is no virtue, and it would be well if all were men of integrity. But in this world we are not. There have always been -- and, presumably, always will be corner-cutters, non-observers, and evil doers. And one of the most useful practices of former times was plain, old fashioned hypocrisy -- perhaps better denominated as discretion . If one is to break the rules, better to be discreet about it rather than letting it all hang out, as the current generation does, insisting that, after all, they are at least not "hypocrites" like their parents. What are the results of an "unhypocritical" roving eye? The highest divorce rate the world has ever known, millions of latch-key children, single parent families without an adult male role model in the home, almost a quarter of the children in the nation's capital born illegitimate, millions of openly practicing homosexuals, and a raging AIDs epidemic. The unhypocritical use of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs by adults is setting a permissive example to pre-teen age children, which has led to the loss of billions of dollars through lost work time, wasted educational opportunity,, costly medical treatment, premature death from cancer, and billions spent on the acquisition and destructive use of imported substances -- money which could otherwise have been devoted to useful consumption or investment. History offers support for the view. Machiavelli, who wrote the world's first, if not best, handbook on the acquisition and use of political power, pointed out that the Borgias gained their great power and influence while deceptively pretending to all religious and other virtues, which, of course, they never possessed and did not practice in their private lives. The moral is that rulers don't actually need to be virtuous, but it is essential that they appear so. More recently, Nigel Nicholson's book about his parents, Portrait of a Marriage, shows how the British aristocracy carried on their totally amoral affairs for generations while preserving the amenities (and holding the loyalty of the working class) through hypocritically subscribing to all the Victorian virtues. Perhaps the key to the downfall of the British Empire was the abandonment of Victorian hypocrisy in favor of Merseyside "openness". Certainly the contemporary movement towards republicanism in former Commonwealth nations, if not the rising anti-royal sentiment in the United Kingdom itself, is a clear reflection of the prestige lost by the Royal Family as a result of the open infidelities of the younger Royals. Indeed, a persuasive argument can be made that what is causing the unraveling of contemporary society at large is the harebrained belief of the young, and not-so-young, that Jesus' teaching about hypocrisy, if not to be accepted as a matter of actual practice, is to be stood on its head and all vices to be practiced openly in order not to be a "hypocrite". Every generation has had its share of perverts and degenerates. But past society at least had the sense to insist on reasonable discretion to protect the young and preserve the decencies for the less sophisticated majority. Those who violated the conventions, like Ingrid Bergman during her affair with Roberto Rossellini, or Oscar Wilde, whose career was destroyed when he was sent to prison for two years after conviction for flaunting his homosexuality, suffered severe sanctions imposed by polite society. Nero became objectionable to the Romans only when he went into the streets to recruit his playmates, trying to make degeneracy the national pastime. Tiberius had the sense to hide his lecherous behavior from public view on the Isle of Capri. Today's insistence on "openness" by our contemporary aristocrats -- athletes, movie stars, and rock musicians, multiplied by the power of television and Hollywood and the willingness of the press to be suborned into providing front page publicity for the immoral proceedings of the rich and famous is, as Presidential Candidate Bob Dole recently reminded us, setting an unparalleled negative example to a generation of youth which has more leisure time on its hands -- and less to occupy itself during this leisure -- than any preceding period of history. Is it to be wondered at that youth is turning to drink, dope, and premature sex, justifying their actions by asserting that at least they are not hypocrites (and therefore better Christians, or Muslims, or Jews?) than previous generations. Pornography, illegitimacy, and drug use are the sad results of exhibitionism run rampant. It is a given of any society that some unprincipled individuals will be having a wild time while others observe the conventions. But instead of preaching more moral restraint, where moral restraint will not be observed, perhaps we should be satisfied with restoring strong social sanctions for those who lack the discretion to at least conceal their excesses. Instead of hoping for a revival of old-time religion, perhaps what we really need is more old-fashioned hypocrisy.