On Hypocrisy

I recently read an article, which started a train of thought about the concept of hypocrisy.  At one point in the article, which was a response to a video post, the author argued that the man in the video was a hypocrite.  Without going into detail about the content of the video, I'll just say that I found myself in agreement with the video prior to reading the response article.  In effect, I believed the video to be telling the truth.

So my question is: how relevant is it that the man in the video is a hypocrite?  If he is speaking the truth, does it matter if in another time and place he had done the opposite of the truth?

Let me pose this another way.  Imagine a man in prison, who is a convicted murderer.  He tells someone that the Bible says, "Thou shalt not kill."  First, is he a hypocrite?  Not necessarily, since the very fact that he is in prison suggests the possibility that he has changed his ways.  However, his past misdeeds clearly show that his is capable of not doing what he advises.

Let us assume that the situation is such that this man clearly has no intention of following the biblical advice.  The question I encourage you to consider is: what's the point of calling this man a hypocrite?  Often, I feel, people use the concept of hypocrisy as justification for ignoring the truth.  Certainly a healthy level of skepticism should be applied when taking advice or learning something new, and the character of the source of that information is a factor to consider.  However, truth is truth no matter who states it, and to disregard truth, even from the mouth of a tyrant is, in my humble opinion, lazy thinking.

I'll admit to being human right here.  I say what I say at the risk of being a hypocrite myself.  Do I ever get tired and subsequently have lazy thoughts?  Do I seek a quick answer from someone I trust, without fully analyzing it?  Of course I do.  But knowing one's weakness is the first step toward fixing it.  I urge you, dear reader, to daily remember to look beneath generalized terms like "hypocrisy" to truly understand.