There’s something compelling about the comeuppance of a hero turned hypocrite. I have a hero. The things they say help and inspire me. The teaching they offer is useful. I think that person can do no wrong. Then they do.
I have a hard time with imperfection. I expect my roles models, who are flawed humans, to live their life on a tight rope which is almost certain to snap. When a person falls, I often reject not only the person, but the teaching as well.
Was I inspired by the imperfect person or the teaching they offered?
If a human errs, does that invalidate the teaching?
Sometimes it probably does. Sometimes a teaching depends on the faithfulness of the the teacher. Also, if a person betrays my expectations I may need space from everything I associate with them. Other times it may be worth putting a boundary between myself and the flawed human, while holding on to the usefulness in their teaching. The messenger may be a hypocrite, yet their message is still true.
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