In Mathematics There is No Hypocrisy

by Lost Archetype

Mathematics is rife with beauty. Yes beauty. Oh, maybe not the type of physical beauty you are thinking of but a beauty that can only be perceived when you study this subject in all of its fabulous environs. One particular beauty that hooks me to this discipline like no other is that of being without hypocrisy. That’s right. In mathematics there is no hypocrisy.

So what is beautiful about “lacking in hypocrisy?” Can you really compare such a situation with the beauty found in a majestic enclave or a sensuous piece of artwork? Well maybe not exactly, but from an intangible perspective, a lack of hypocrisy is actually a very beautiful thing. You see, hypocrisy-the art of saying one thing and doing another, or the deception that comes from presenting one front and actually supporting another-is one of the ugliest things on earth. Hypocrisy is an abstract noun copiously endowed with all kinds of negative attributes, subversive intentions, and evil chromosomes.

Whether we find the big “H,” – hypocrisy – in politics, religion, or philosophy, we are no sooner duped by its subtle penetration into our being than we are left wondering how we ever could be fooled so easily. Thus the religious leader, who seems so pious, leaves us breathless at how moral and ethical he is, when only later we find out about some scurrilous act that he has committed; or the politician who pontificates on the need for Americans to cut wasteful energy consumption and yet is himself a wastrel in the prudent use of such resources.

Yet mathematics boasts of no such thing. In this discipline, we only find black and white. Indeed, one witnesses all the colors of the rainbow-and indeed every gradation of color in between as we run the gamut from red to violet-but we do not find that something of one color suddenly morphing into another shade. Thus when we have a mathematical law or equation, we can be certain that that equation will hold true today, tomorrow, and that it held true yesterday, even though it might not have been discovered yet.

Admittedly mathematics, because of its ability to explain the world around us so well, must by nature be complex; however, once we comprehend its beauty and penetrate into the depths of its soul and realize no hypocrisy is found lurking there, we immediately become a convert-a die-hard fan of epic proportions. Yes, mathematics might not have a beauty comparable to a majestic enclave, but it does have a beauty-unfathomable, consistent, and ever reliable.

So when you hear the word math and start to summon feelings of negativity because of past experience, stop and consider these words: math is not only the key to the universe but also one of the few things in life without hypocrisy. Just for that last statement, mathematics merits our profound respect. Here’s to hypocrisy free living!