Reasons why certain individuals who are known for being strict or have a strong adherence to rules may not always follow those rules themselves.
The world is full of circus clowns; if you’re not careful, you may perform with the same clowns at the circus – for free.
I used to have two friends (I decided to cut those two clowns off completely from my life), one was a disciplined man and one was a religious man. They would claim to live by the principles. Here are examples of each of them:
The Disciplined man
I was on the phone with him when I went to replace my car tyres and in the process, I asked the guys to replace my brake pads. One of the guys at the brake centre told me he wanted to home to see his children but he was only getting paid on Monday, couldn’t I perhaps do him a favour and not pay for the installation at the reception and just leave50% of the money I was going to pay on the seat for him. The disciplined man heard the conversation as I was talking to him on the phone and he told me to not entertain that clown and to pay the shop owner what he deserved. I obliged and paid the shop and out of my pocket, gave the man some money to go see his family as a tip.
The Religious man
The religious man would fast and he would always encourage righteous and honest treatment. He would always call me out for being impatient and he would often have issues with me sometimes paying my creditors late where I work. I run a small company and I always prioritise paying salaries first and then dealing with other debts on or around the last day or the beginning of the month.
He would always say that one should be transparent and should always put the Lord forward in all his/her ways.
What exactly happened?
I found out the two gentlemen transferred ownership of a company we both started to a man who committed fraud and used the very same company to siphon money from his employer. They didn’t want to sell me their shares and didn’t want to run the company anymore, I woke up to a notification that stated I had resigned from the company. When I confronted them, I was met with resistance before they both admitted they signed me out — which is technically illegal as I didn’t agree to that.
So… what makes such people behave like clowns?
What I found strange was just how sometimes, the very same men who would fault me and sometimes tell me how stray I was would not follow the same principles themselves, if whatever was in the discussion was in their favour.
Here are a few reasons why:
Human Fallibility: Just like anyone else, strict individuals are susceptible to human fallibility. They may strive to uphold certain standards or rules but may occasionally falter due to factors such as temptation, weakness, or simple mistakes.
Selective Application: Sometimes, strict individuals may apply rules selectively, depending on the situation or their personal motivations. They may justify bending or breaking rules in certain circumstances, perhaps believing that the ends justify the means or that their actions are necessary for a greater purpose.
Conflict of Interest: In some cases, strict individuals may face conflicts of interest that lead them to disregard rules they would typically enforce. This could include situations where following the rules would be personally disadvantageous or go against their own interests or those of someone close to them.
Double Standards: This is often the case, strict individuals may hold themselves to different standards than they do others. They may expect more leniency or forgiveness for their own transgressions while being quick to judge or condemn similar behaviour in others.
Pressure or Temptation: Even individuals with a strong commitment to rules and standards may succumb to pressure or temptation, especially when faced with difficult circumstances or strong incentives to deviate from their usual behaviour.
Context and Rationalization: Strict individuals may rationalize their own rule-breaking behaviour by convincing themselves that it’s justified in the specific context or that the rules don’t apply to them in the same way they do to others.
Overall, while strict individuals may strive to uphold rules and standards, they are not immune to the same human tendencies and complexities that can lead anyone to fall short of their own expectations at times. So, as an individual who may be a child, friend, colleague, neighbour, etc to these individuals, always keep in mind that behind all that strictness like weakness as indicated above.
As the saying goes, “People who break the rules are usually those who make them.” — Terry Pratchett. So, always be very careful around these clowns and don’t hesitate to cut off anyone who makes you feel otherwise in life. Life is too short for stupid compromises.
