Friday, 19 February 2010
Did You Know 3.0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8
After watching this clip, one thought had permanent residence in my mind. That if I had any intentions of being more than a passer-by in the future in which I am going to live, I will have to get to work from yesterday.
"Heights attained by great men were not achieved by sudden flight. But they, when their companions were sleeping, kept toiling on onward through the night"
Thoughts - 18022010
Life is a game of wits, opinions and points of view. And as is the nature of our world, a day rarely goes by that we do not meet people that see things a different way to how we do. Our natural reaction is to go defensive and try to defend our beliefs and this often creates unnecessary conflict. The case is often that we feel so strongly about what we believe that we give no audience to what anyone else might have to say. But is this the best way to deal with this ever present conflict?
A single-minded arrogance is definitely not the way to deal with the situation. As much as you might think and/or know that you are right, your failure to listen can be highly counterproductive. The greatest leaders that have ever walked this earth have all been great speakers and great listeners. Jesus Christ spoke many great words but the Bible also records Him listening to people and responding to their queries with relevant words that met their needs and we all know how that story goes. At the other end of the leadership spectrum, another leader who understood the power of attending to people’s needs and fear was Adolf Hitler. As much as he has gone down in history as one of the most evil men to ever live, he was able to take the concerns of a section of the German public that feared the Jews would take over and use that as a point of entry into the hearts and minds of his people and we also know how that story ends. Closer to home, the British National Party are fast gaining ground by feeding on legitimate concerns on immigration and the rise of Islam and using that as a platform to propagate their other distasteful messages. We don’t know how that story will end but as long as the major parties seek to push the “we know what’s best for the people” agenda, get ready for more success from the BNP.
In similar fashion, people of faith, especially Christians, need to be very careful with their beliefs and how they choose to pass them on. One of the underlining factors in the rise of Christianity and the early church was the ability of the apostles and early Christians to reason with the people they came across. The Bible records Paul reasoning daily in the halls of Tyrannus where many people came with their various philosophies. Reasoning is defined as the process by which you reach a conclusion after thinking about all the facts and this is something I do not think many Christians pay attention to. Many are too preoccupied with their self righteousness and pride that they are missing the glaring needs and resounding groans of the people. Christians need to cultivate a listening ear if they are to be relevant in our ever changing world. Things are changing at the speed of light and no one can afford to rest on their laurels. The battle is eternal and the enemy is reinventing himself every day. Failure to keep abreast with the world around you will make your Christianity as relevant as ski boots in Miami.
We all need to learn to humble ourselves enough to listen to whatever people have to say, irrespective of whether or not we think they are spewing the vilest rubbish in the history of human speech. This breeds a trust that a speaker knows that whatever they are saying is being heard and will therefore be more likely to reciprocate the listening. It is also in listening that you identify the legitimate concerns of the people and see how what you have to say can address those concerns. Otherwise, the probability missing those concerns and addressing the irrelevant ones
Single-minded arrogance and ignorance are, in my opinion, not too far apart. One doesn’t know and the other doesn’t want to know. Perhaps you can argue that single-minded arrogance is more dangerous as it has very little interest in knowledge.
A single-minded arrogance is definitely not the way to deal with the situation. As much as you might think and/or know that you are right, your failure to listen can be highly counterproductive. The greatest leaders that have ever walked this earth have all been great speakers and great listeners. Jesus Christ spoke many great words but the Bible also records Him listening to people and responding to their queries with relevant words that met their needs and we all know how that story goes. At the other end of the leadership spectrum, another leader who understood the power of attending to people’s needs and fear was Adolf Hitler. As much as he has gone down in history as one of the most evil men to ever live, he was able to take the concerns of a section of the German public that feared the Jews would take over and use that as a point of entry into the hearts and minds of his people and we also know how that story ends. Closer to home, the British National Party are fast gaining ground by feeding on legitimate concerns on immigration and the rise of Islam and using that as a platform to propagate their other distasteful messages. We don’t know how that story will end but as long as the major parties seek to push the “we know what’s best for the people” agenda, get ready for more success from the BNP.
In similar fashion, people of faith, especially Christians, need to be very careful with their beliefs and how they choose to pass them on. One of the underlining factors in the rise of Christianity and the early church was the ability of the apostles and early Christians to reason with the people they came across. The Bible records Paul reasoning daily in the halls of Tyrannus where many people came with their various philosophies. Reasoning is defined as the process by which you reach a conclusion after thinking about all the facts and this is something I do not think many Christians pay attention to. Many are too preoccupied with their self righteousness and pride that they are missing the glaring needs and resounding groans of the people. Christians need to cultivate a listening ear if they are to be relevant in our ever changing world. Things are changing at the speed of light and no one can afford to rest on their laurels. The battle is eternal and the enemy is reinventing himself every day. Failure to keep abreast with the world around you will make your Christianity as relevant as ski boots in Miami.
We all need to learn to humble ourselves enough to listen to whatever people have to say, irrespective of whether or not we think they are spewing the vilest rubbish in the history of human speech. This breeds a trust that a speaker knows that whatever they are saying is being heard and will therefore be more likely to reciprocate the listening. It is also in listening that you identify the legitimate concerns of the people and see how what you have to say can address those concerns. Otherwise, the probability missing those concerns and addressing the irrelevant ones
Single-minded arrogance and ignorance are, in my opinion, not too far apart. One doesn’t know and the other doesn’t want to know. Perhaps you can argue that single-minded arrogance is more dangerous as it has very little interest in knowledge.
Saturday, 13 February 2010
Thoughts - 13022010
How many times do we hear about people meaning to help but getting it all wrong? How many times do people complain of smug, self righteous people who have no idea of other people’s predicament taking an unwarranted moral high ground?
I am of the opinion that most of us are still eager to help our neighbour (contrary to public opinion) but somewhere between the thought and the action, we get things incredibly messed up. We often forget that we are not the star of the show and get carried away in a sense of good-doing and forget that without the people we are trying to help understanding what we are trying to do, we might as well keep our goodwill to ourselves.
The image of a hairdresser (or barber) springs to mind. Imagine you hadn’t had your hair done for a while or never even had your hair done before and all of a sudden find yourself under the armpit of the hairdresser. Yes, your hair might need some work but to hold you down against your will and apply methods that might seem a bit extreme for an outcome that you are not so sure of will not look like an inviting idea. In the same way, just because someone you happen to come across seems to be in need of help doesn’t give you the right to “help” them. I am not for one second saying that we should pass up an opportunity to help. What I am saying is that you don’t dive in at the deep end at your first time in the pool. You get familiar with the waters before you proceed to the tricky parts. I believe nothing in life should be rushed or rushed into. But you find that most people don’t even know their neighbour’s names or their children’s name or any of the softer details of their life and think they can just jump and play saviour.
In cases where I have been guilty of the issue in question, it has often been because I was in too much of a hurry to get the job done, add that notch to my belt, pull out the cape and soak up the applause. We are too often so caught up in ourselves that we forget that the problem we are trying to help with has very little, if anything, to do with us. We often help out expecting to be praised or rewarded for our efforts. We often give waiting and expecting to get some back in return. But I’d like to propose a different attitude – DO THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. It might sound like something you expect to hear in a Sunday school class but that doesn’t stop it from being true. If we do good expecting people to do the same to us, then what credits do we expect? Don’t even the most evil of men do the same? We have to cultivate the habit of doing the right thing without any thought for who is looking on and who might pat us on the back at the end .
One of our greatest responsibilities is to love anyone that needs our love in the way we would expected to be love. In other words, do to others what you would like them to do to you. If you find your neighbour in hard times and feel like helping, put yourself their shoes and try for a second and think of the best way you would like to be approached and offered help if you were in a similar situation. You must never lose sight of the fact that you are not the main attraction in that episode and that at the end of it all, no fingers should be pointing in your direction
In today’s world where people are obsessed with stardom and fame, it is no surprise that many often hesitate to get involved in anything that doesn’t seem to have any reward in sight. People are more concerned about looking good rather than being good. And more worryingly, we are starting to accept this as the norm. So much that if one person should “do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do”, it feels like they are doing something out of the ordinary. We need to bang the drums of change and determine in our hearts and minds that we will do the right thing regardless of public opinion, regardless of reward or ridicule and regardless of how far out of our comfort zone it may take us. SELAH
The Telligent Blog ©
I am of the opinion that most of us are still eager to help our neighbour (contrary to public opinion) but somewhere between the thought and the action, we get things incredibly messed up. We often forget that we are not the star of the show and get carried away in a sense of good-doing and forget that without the people we are trying to help understanding what we are trying to do, we might as well keep our goodwill to ourselves.
The image of a hairdresser (or barber) springs to mind. Imagine you hadn’t had your hair done for a while or never even had your hair done before and all of a sudden find yourself under the armpit of the hairdresser. Yes, your hair might need some work but to hold you down against your will and apply methods that might seem a bit extreme for an outcome that you are not so sure of will not look like an inviting idea. In the same way, just because someone you happen to come across seems to be in need of help doesn’t give you the right to “help” them. I am not for one second saying that we should pass up an opportunity to help. What I am saying is that you don’t dive in at the deep end at your first time in the pool. You get familiar with the waters before you proceed to the tricky parts. I believe nothing in life should be rushed or rushed into. But you find that most people don’t even know their neighbour’s names or their children’s name or any of the softer details of their life and think they can just jump and play saviour.
In cases where I have been guilty of the issue in question, it has often been because I was in too much of a hurry to get the job done, add that notch to my belt, pull out the cape and soak up the applause. We are too often so caught up in ourselves that we forget that the problem we are trying to help with has very little, if anything, to do with us. We often help out expecting to be praised or rewarded for our efforts. We often give waiting and expecting to get some back in return. But I’d like to propose a different attitude – DO THE RIGHT THING BECAUSE IT’S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. It might sound like something you expect to hear in a Sunday school class but that doesn’t stop it from being true. If we do good expecting people to do the same to us, then what credits do we expect? Don’t even the most evil of men do the same? We have to cultivate the habit of doing the right thing without any thought for who is looking on and who might pat us on the back at the end .
One of our greatest responsibilities is to love anyone that needs our love in the way we would expected to be love. In other words, do to others what you would like them to do to you. If you find your neighbour in hard times and feel like helping, put yourself their shoes and try for a second and think of the best way you would like to be approached and offered help if you were in a similar situation. You must never lose sight of the fact that you are not the main attraction in that episode and that at the end of it all, no fingers should be pointing in your direction
In today’s world where people are obsessed with stardom and fame, it is no surprise that many often hesitate to get involved in anything that doesn’t seem to have any reward in sight. People are more concerned about looking good rather than being good. And more worryingly, we are starting to accept this as the norm. So much that if one person should “do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do”, it feels like they are doing something out of the ordinary. We need to bang the drums of change and determine in our hearts and minds that we will do the right thing regardless of public opinion, regardless of reward or ridicule and regardless of how far out of our comfort zone it may take us. SELAH
The Telligent Blog ©
Monday, 1 February 2010
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