AND KNOWING IS ONLY HALF THE BATTLE – “… we are to place principles before personalities; … we are to practice a genuine humility. This to the end that our great blessings may never spoil us; that we shall forever live in thankful contemplation of … [our Higher Power] .” (12 & 12, p. 192)
“He who merely knows right principles is not equal to him who loves them.” – Confucius (551 BC – 479 BC) Chinese philosopher / teacher
How have you struggled with putting “principles before personalities”, lately?
Eberg – The Right Thing to Do (4:27)
The Selfish Man :
Once upon a time, there was a selfish man. He liked everything to be his own. He could not share his belongings with anyone, not even his friends or the poor.
One day, the man lost thirty gold coins. He went to his friend’s house and told him how he lost his gold coins. His friend was a kind man.
As his friend’s daughter was coming from an errand she found thirty gold coins. When she arrived home, she told her father what she had found. The girl’s father told her that the gold coins belong to his friend and he sent for him. When the selfish man arrived, he told him how his daughter had found his thirty gold coins and handed then to him.
After counting the gold coins the man said that ten of them was missing and had been taken by the girl as he had forty gold coins. He further commented that he will recover the remaining amount from him. But the girl’s father refused.
The man left the gold coins and went to the court and informed the judge there about what had taken place between him and the girl’s father.
The judge sent for the girl and her father and when they arrived asked the girl how many gold coins did she find. She replied thirty gold coins. The Judge that asked the selfish man how many gold coins did he lose and he answered forty gold coins.
The judge then told the man that the gold coins did not belong to him because the girl found thirty and not forty as he claimed to have lost and then told the girl to take the gold coins and that if anybody is looking for them he will send for the girl.
The judge told the man that if anybody reports that they have found forty gold coins he will send for him. It was then that the man confessed that he lied and that he lost thirty gold coins but the judge did not listen to him.
This story teaches us to be always honest as dishonest never pays.
It is hard to place principles before personalities. Toxic personalities can distract from the principle. I think I do a good job at holding my tongue.
Not so easy to do………. But I am learning………
I’m doing my best to be more forgiving. It seems the closer I am with people the harder it seems to be totally forgiving. I suppose that’s because there is so much history.
Good morning everyone + Happy Tuesday. Here is today’s thought. God has forgiven us for everything we have done in the past, no matter how black it was, provided we are trying to do the right thing today. (Hazelden) If you are in harmony with the Divine Spirit, doing your best to live the way you believe God wants you to live, you will be at peace. Blessings. BB
I have to continue to remind myself to practice, non-judgement, especially when I feel hurt by another person’s action. Feeling hurt doesn’t help the situation and much of the time, I’m making assumptions about another person’s motivations. Recognizing my own powerlessness also seems to be dropped by the wayside as well.
If someone doesn’t return a text/call i sometimes
Take it personally however it usually just ends up with
a person being busy.this i think is where principles come before
MY personality.
Right now I have a fever blister. I hate it. I know no one will want to look at me, let alone, touch me. I am not touchable and I am not lovable. Yet I go to a meeting and people hug me anyway and I think, maybe I am lovable after all.