 Spiritual: July 16, 2014 Issue [#6439] |
  Spiritual
This week: Who Can You Trust? Edited by: Kitti the Red-Nosed Feline  
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Trust can be difficult to give and just as difficult to earn, but in the end we have to trust in someone or something...
This week's Spiritual Newsletter, then, is all about trust.
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Who can you trust? It's a simple question that should have a simple answer – everyone – but, of course, the reality is different. Can you trust your family? Your friends? Your partner? What about your teachers, your employer, your religious leaders, and your government?
I am quite lucky, because I do have people in my life who I can trust. I trust my grandmother, because she's always been straightforward with me, yet even if she did not agree with me about something, I knew, and know, that I can count on her unconditional love. I trust my uncle, who is a gentle, open person. I trusted my grandfather, who sadly passed away on the 30th of April. I trust my partner, and his mother, and his brother, who are all good people.
Some of my family members I do not trust. This, sadly, is how family can be – just because you are related not necessarily mean that you get along. Some of my partner's family I don't know well enough to trust, as they're spread out all over the country and we only see the other every once in a while. They do seem really pleasant.
I have some nice neighbours. A couple of them accept parcels for me when I am out, and I do the same in turn. That shows a certain amount of faith on both sides. Others, I pass in the street and we may greet the other and exchange a few words, but that's it.
In my immediate circle, then, there are various levels of trust, from no trust at all to a knowledge that I can share anything with that person. It gets more complicated when I step out of that relatively safe circle. When we apply for a job, or attend a class, we place ourselves in the hands of those with some level of authority over us. I have had wonderful employers and not so wonderful ones. I have had excellent teachers and those who gave me bad advice. Often, we're willing to place our trust in people only to find that they don't have our best interests at heart.
I have never been in trouble with the law. When I lived in the Netherlands, I worked for the Dutch police force and I can honestly say that all my colleagues were decent people who cared about the public's well-being. However, not every cop is good. There are those who, when placed in a position of power, can't resist the temptation to abuse it.
This is evident amongst politicians. During elections, we are asked to place our trust in those want our vote. Promises are made, the most wondrous pictures of the future are painted, but once the election is over it's all too common for these promises to be broken, and for the real picture to be an ugly one.
Religion is not immune from corruption. Various faiths attract various people who will take advantage of the faith placed in them. This is a big problem for religious organisations, because, when dealing with matters of the soul, trust is key. Many people of faith turn to their religious leaders for advice on personal matters, and they need to feel comfortable enough to open up and share their burdens – something they cannot do if their religion is tainted by the actions of those who use the religion for their own, dark, purposes.
So, who can we trust? Plenty of corporations lie when selling their products. Though often unintentional, doctors can misdiagnose ailments. We place our money in banks for safekeeping, but banks can fail. Every interaction takes a leap of faith, either great or small. And so it is with our faith in a higher power.
I have faith in God – at least, in my idea of who and what God is. Different faiths have different viewpoints on this, so a lot can rest on personal interpretation. My faith may, at times, be shaky and uncertain, but that is because I don't always trust my own wisdom and insight. I am very aware that I, too, am flawed.
Without trust life is difficult if not impossible to navigate. Every time I go to sleep, I trust that I will wake up in the morning. Every time I take a taxi or step on a bus I trust that I will safely arrive at my destination. Every time I order a meal, I trust that it hasn't been spat on.
Trust can be hard to give and hard to earn. I think that the best we can do is be the kind of person we'd like others to be – someone who can be relied upon. I know that I fall short of that at times, but it's a good goal. I also think that we should give others the benefit of the doubt and to not expect them to be perfect... though there are limits, and when it comes to those in positions of power, certain standards should be applied and upheld.
It's all about personal responsibility, isn't it? Those who take responsibility for their own actions are, often, trustworthy. When they make a mistake, they will do everything they can to fix it. That's the best that can be expected of everyone. Those who refuse to take personal responsibility are the ones who should be avoided.
In the end, we have to trust in someone or something, even if it's just in ourselves, or in a higher power. Still, live is a lot more pleasant if we dare to include others.
kittiara
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The Spiritual Newsletter Team welcomes any and all questions, suggestions, thoughts and feedback, so please don't hesitate to write in! 
ethalweg - Taking the objective (if that's even really possible in religious terms) view of evil, let's discuss this from the notion of creation: If we were created to do God's will (the good), and each of us actually conformed to do God's will wholly, then evil would not exist, thus WE would be the representatives of God's omnipotence and omnibenevolence (he would have intervened through US to validate the good, solely). When the daunting task of consistently doing the will of God lapses in 'good' people, then evil, while maybe not created as a result of a lapse in good , comes into existence and persists through the actions of man. 'Good' now has a counterpart in 'evil'. Are we expecting God to directly intervene to correct this quandary? If so, what's the point of our creation to do his will in terms of good and evil?
That is an interesting perspective, and one I will have to give some thought. Thank you!
~~~
monty31802 - Good points for a lot of people for instance if a person believes in hell maybe God is not good. I don't believe in hell.
I also don't believe in hell. It makes no sense to me that there would be a place of eternal torture. Not when there is a God who seems pretty keen on the concept of redemption.
~~~
Zeke  - God created man in His own image. I don't believe man looks like God, but I think the image was free will. No other creation had that.
Free will can create evil.
Zeke
Free will can indeed create evil. Or what most of us consider to be evil. I sometimes wonder how God views it. After all, concepts of evil change over time and are not always consistent even within a certain time period.
~~~
ArchAngel  - I like this topic. Alright, here goes: Why evil if there is God? Because balance has to be maintain that way. If all was good life would be dull, yes I know you would want a perfect world. Have you read the book The Giver (I think it is called that). In the book a giver has the memory of all that the bad that happen before it was a perfect world. Well the Giver gives the memory to a kid(forgot his name) and he doesn't like the perfect world. What I'm getting at is nothing is perfect evil will always stay, but so will good.
I haven't read that book, but it sounds really interesting, thanks! It makes sense, too. At least to a certain extent. If we've suffered the lows, we learn to truly appreciate the highs. I do feel sad for people who only get to suffer the lows, though. And I would often love for everything to be just a little bit nicer...
~~~
To Remembering - I won't include your comment in my newsletter, as I want to preserve your privacy, but I do think that you are a very brave person and I hope that you will succeed. I wish you all the best!
~~~
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
The Spiritual Newsletter Team
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