Don’t let the title confuse you; this isn’t a spiel about health. To preach water but drink wine is to demand one thing without yourself committing to it, to not practice what you preach. A little thing here and there is harmless, and we have all, without exception, acted the part of the hypocrite at one point or another. Frankly, drinking wine and recommending that others drink water, literally, will not cause the world to tilt off its axis. Think of this as something of a subtweet to the world at large.
There are many issues that have come into the spotlight lately, be they in our Lubbock community or the global at large. Events, as they are wont to do, have transpired and it seems that people are forever looking for a finger to point. Now is a good time to assert that every story has at least two sides, and that no one issue is ever without a losing party. What is paramount here, what people need to understand, is that we, the outside group, do not determine that. We determine it even less, amongst the friends and family with which we like to debate and gossip, when we begin to ascribe to people various ideals that we ourselves do not practice.
Take "The Great Gatsby." A bit out of the mainstream, at this point, but a great story nonetheless. How many of us lamented the (wrong, so very wrong) choices Daisy made? How many of us didn’t understand why Gatsby acted the way he did? “I would have done this!” we say, but the question is this - have we? What one would do, or feels that one would do, in their heart of hearts or the back of their mind or wherever these thoughts originate actually matter not at all compared to what one has actually done. Doubtless we have all chased after something that had long passed, or sided with the safer route. Furthermore, we cannot possibly understand all the extenuating circumstances that weighs additionally on the choice of every decision.
We have all heard the expression “to walk a mile in another’s shoes.” Perhaps, before even attempting to venture that far, one should remember exactly how their own shoes fit. Before we grow annoyed at that slow walker in Memorial Circle we should remember that we do not always book it across campus when we are not avoiding tardiness. I believe there’s some phrase, maybe a few years older than the one that references glass houses, about being the first to throw stones? And should we find ourselves truly without fault, having never once erred, we should still acknowledge that we know not how their day before has gone. Perhaps they have a bad knee. Perhaps their feet are sore. Perhaps we are being irrational and testy.
The point here is not to encourage complacency; complacency is also a bad thing. I merely suggest that we spend a trifle more time getting to understand the issue, and our view of the issue, before we comment. And should we not have the time to research or think, “I don’t know anything about it” is also, always, an acceptable answer.
