Community Chat

[qualitygal]

Well......................I'm not there ........................  and keep me out of the reach of Preds when she's mad!!  LOL  

[jubilant]

To me these 15 traits help me to do so something I need to do every so often and that is...... to take inventory of my life.  It's not about achieving perfection or beating ourselves up for every imperfection. It has to do with growing.

[Alter Ego]

It’s an interesting list, but seems like the world is getting farther and farther away from it. All those comments about respecting each other’s differences. The easy example is Washington (all parties), but it’s all around us. Rarely is there respectful debate anymore.


With regards to #9, I have a little different thought. I think it’s that you have to be careful not to put duty above all else; that you should be able to independently consider each situation to do what is best. Bad example: you just received a call that your child was in an accident and is in the hospital. You’re driving a little over the speed limit and get pulled over. The policeman has the duty to give you a ticket but can choose to give you a warning. Just thought of another example: putting the duty to your job above everything such that you are working all hours and missing family obligations. Edited to add a few others:  real world example - Prince Charles.  You could interpret that in your own life in that you feel you have a duty to follow in your family business even though you aren't interested or very good at it.  But, you would rather be miserable than choose a different path.

[jubilant]

@Alter Ego 

I think you made some very good points.  Your examples were "right on"!    I see so many today fulfilling their duties and obligations to the point it has such bad effects on them that  it renders them almost useless to other important things in their lives.  Great observation.

[AuntG]

@SilleeMee I'm thankful my parents sent me to classes where that book was studied. Wish I were more diligent in reading it now, but passages I had to memorize have helped me more times than I can remember. My DH had those same type of parents and we now consider it a great gift they gave us.

[SilleeMee]

@AuntG 

My parents, too. Things I learned then, although still the same in the book, have different meaning to me now. I think that's what makes those teachings so valuable as you carry them with you through life and apply them when the time comes. I've sat back and thought to myself...wow, now I understand what that meant when...so much meaning from different povs. 

[Moonlady]

I like that list with the exception of:

"Duty and obligation are less important than choice." Huh? Clearly, that depends upon what someone is *choosing* to do in place of one's duty/obligation(s). Choosing to go to the movies instead of class? Choosing to play video games instead of going to work? Choosing to ignore children's bad behavior toward others because that's easier than addressing it?

The fact, IOW, is that this "sign" is ambiguous on its own. But I can see how some who prefer to choose to do what they want rather than what they should, now feel validated--and think they're "mature".