Endigar 458 ~ Trusting Others
From Today’s Daily Reflections;
But does trust require that we be blind to other people’s motives or, indeed, to our own? Not at all; this would be folly. Most certainly, we should assess the capacity for harm as well as the capability for good in every person that we would trust. Such a private inventory can reveal the degree of confidence we should extend in any given situation. (As Bill Sees It, page 144)
I am not a victim of others, but rather a victim of my expectations, choices and dishonesty. When I expect others to be what I want them to be and not who they are, when they fail to meet my expectations, I am hurt. When my choices are based on self-centeredness, I find I am lonely and distrustful. I gain confidence in myself, however, when I practice honesty in all my affairs. When I search my motives and am honest and trusting, I am aware of the capacity for harm in situations and can avoid those that are harmful.
END OF QUOTE
————————————————————-
The idea of today’s reflections work well for me when I can pause the flow of life. Considering the motives of others, or even my own, is the work of private meditation or intimate deliberation with a few trusted mirrors. I have a habit of responding in extremes when I am involved in spontaneous interaction. I am either too open or too fearful. The ability to free others from my unrealistic expectations is a process, and not an automatic response.
In general, if I find that I must retreat from others and live in the protective shadows of my fantasy world, then I am having problems with the principle of honesty applied to my interactive reality. When I no longer fear the sunlight of social contact, my honesty is moving from internal struggle to natural reflex.
I suppose this is another ongoing process.
Daily Reprieve 
Leave a Reply