Posted by Peace on September 08, 2012 at 20:49:33
In Reply to: Re: Question #1 posted by Extreme on September 06, 2012 at 19:58:44:
I understand your question as the distance between one’s beliefs and one’s actions. If we agree that everybody does their best to be consistent with their real beliefs – not what they say but what they really belief, we can agree that actions tell more than words, and maybe all of us have been observing actions as a way to resolve that point you raise.
Life throws at us unexpected surprises and we react in ways we don’t expect, like or even hoped. Are these inconsistencies contradicting our real beliefs? In my journey my conclusion is that these contradictions result from dilemmas that we can use to align or hide even more our priorities. Two factors appear to be relevant for how we interact with the world: How we react to peer pressure, and our capacity to think critically a particular issue.
These two things are in a continuum and a threshold separates what we accept or reject. For example, our reaction to peer pressure depends on who the particular peers are or when it is happening. Likewise, not all information we receive is worth our time or high-order thinking skills.
Peer pressure is also dependent on the degree of judgment in an environment and of how much importance we place on it, as well as in other issues such as our belonging to that environment. Our own personal sensitivity plays a role. What affects one person may not affect another, or quite the same way, or with quite the same intensity.
The same can be said of critical thinking skills. We most of the time avoid difficult topics because we are comfortable with our current situation and avoid “dealing with it”.
In TFI there was a rampant push to identify people with little moral qualms to push people into doing things as a characteristic of good leadership. They called it motivation. But they also played the statistics and that is why Berg Wrote letters about letting people go and such. Those that stayed were more sold-out than those that left – in other words, those that stayed still had a lot of space (empty brains to be filled with new KK).
I think that at some point, many of us valued our self-worth, feelings, emotions, decisions, conclusions, opinions and knowledge, more than other’s. Then we woke up and walked away.
What still is mysterious to me is why some people overvalue their beliefs to the extent of being extremists and overly pushing them on others. Berg and the vast majority of leaders certainly had that attitude and behavior – some still carry it on them, even when they visit these boards.
I guess to answer your question, I will say that it is a matter of accommodating the priority of your convictions as you go and move about the world. At least that is what I do, and I have to say that God, who is still my first priority, has not fail me yet. You don't need to show "works" to anybody, that is religionism in my view. You must show faith to God, and God alone. (Sorry if I sound preachy, it is not my wish).
Peace.