One of the most widely used tenets of pop psychology is the idea of projection. That, in an effort to rationalize our own behavior, we project that everyone around us is just as guilty. Sure I’m a hypocrite! What’s the big deal, isn’t everyone? And to take it even further, accuse others BEFORE they can accuse us. Or in keeping with the anti-Golden Rule theme, “Do unto others BEFORE they do unto you!” What is Creator’s perspective on the “projection” of one’s own hypocrisy onto others?

This is very much a trap that perpetrators create for themselves to spread their poison and create additional victims through their selfish actions to live a lie in some way to serve themselves at the expense of others, even as they are criticizing others for similar conduct and posing as authorities on the subject and claiming to set an example for good behavior while behind the scenes they are violating their own would-be rules. This is a very cynical and shallow existence. Those who indulge in such conduct and are blind to their own hypocrisy are very close to resembling the interlopers who are so corrupted they lack morality altogether—this can happen for people as well. Many humans in positions of leadership get there by adopting hypocrisy as a working tool, so they maintain a public persona that appears to be an exalted one so they can claim to have all the virtues one could want and the strength of character to be admired by all, even though behind the scenes they might well be lying and cheating regularly and doing all kinds of manipulations, and even criminal behavior because they are able to do so without feeling guilt—that is a hallmark of inner corruption to a high degree and is the characteristic of sociopaths when there is an extreme absence of conscience. Many chief executive officers of corporations, as well as politicians and others who rely on public support and visibility, are sociopaths because they can ruthlessly outcompete others and may well have a sordid history of backstabbing and sabotaging the careers of others to get ahead. It is unfortunate in your world that ruthlessness is so often rewarded because it is mistaken for strength and competence when it is all too often someone who is living a lie but putting up a false front of solidity, bold claims that may be exaggerated, and false promises because they can be unabashed in making proposals that may never be possible because they lack a conscience and are so used to living as a hypocrite they have experienced the reality they can really handle anything—to make excuses, to misdirect people, misstate facts, or use a number of strategies that will end up causing others to take the blame so they can literally get away with anything—so there will be no stopping them in a pursuit of power. This is the danger of hypocrites succeeding with their false front misrepresentation to perhaps cast aspersions on others for doing what they themselves do and perhaps even to a greater extent. It is a well-worn and highly successful propaganda ploy because the assumption is if you are accusing someone of something, you yourself must be pristine in order to have that privilege, and would never be engaged in a similar misdeed or inappropriate conduct because it would just be too brazen to imagine someone doing—that, too, adds to the likelihood of success of the hypocrite. When they are devoid of a conscience, they can look into a camera without batting an eye, smile, and deflect criticism with a disarming counternarrative that may be based on lies entirely but their poise and seeming confidence will usually be believed. People do not like to think those around them are liars and manipulators and simply misrepresenting themselves in a hypocritical fashion, but it is all too common because of corruption by the darkness.