I've always enjoyed writing. It's a way to relieve stress and organize my thoughts. As I have gotten older, I have taken classes on writing and learned how to write correctly, which has resulted in writing more often. The more I write the more I realize the hypocrisy within many works. Author Alicia La Plante, says it is easiest to write about things you already know. This is true, but it also occurred to me that just because I know something to be true does not mean I follow it, nor does it mean I agree with it. There's a commonly used phrase, "Do as I say, not as I do." As a writer, I push this phrase to its limit.

My epiphany of writers' hypocrisy slapped me in the face just last week as I was reading my dad an article I wrote called, "5 New Year's Resolutions To Keep Off Your List This Year." As it turns out, I have only been following two out of my five suggestions. My dad laughed as I read him each resolution. I knew while I was writing the article that I would not necessarily follow the resolutions, but I also knew that I was giving good advice. I, like many writers, am a hypocrite. This lead me to a moral dilemma: is it wrong of me to offer advice that I do not myself follow?

While many writers will write about certain rules or advice that he or she does not follow, it is difficult for a writer to write about something with which he or she does not agree. For instance, I do not follow all of the resolutions that I offered in my previous article, but I want to eventually get to the point that I do follow them.

Ultimately, I do not think that writers' hypocrisy is immoral, and I will probably at some point give more advice that I fail to follow. That's not wrong; it's just honest. However, I do think it is wrong to write an article you do not believe, yourself. It is easy to write about things you know, and it is virtuous to write about something about which you feel strongly. Writers are hypocrites, but they are also passionate people with thoughtful opinions. Sure, I may not follow my own advice, but I agree with everything I write. It is important as a person and writer to have integrity, and thus you must only express opinions with which you agree, even if it is hypocritical within your actions sometimes.