Lately I hear much talk of patriotism and respect. I hear about beliefs. Talk of loyalty. All those things. And I can't help but wonder about motives. Motives are usually thought of as a bad thing or at least in a bad context. That is not always the case, nor the meaning. A motive is nothing more than the driving force behind an action. The thing that motivates us can be either good or bad. It may be selfish. The thing to decide is whether or not your motivations are pure. A difficult question to answer.
The strength of ones beliefs is directly related to motivation .If I believe strongly enough, I will act upon those beliefs. Sounds simple enough. The reality is much more complicated. Does this motivation stem from the actual belief or from me wanting you to believe that it does ? That's the bad part. That is the part that leads us all astray. As humans we are not immune. Do my reactions come from a genuine place ? Do I hope to gain anything from these actions that will benefit only me ? Am I doing this action to try to raise my own self esteem ? Am I trying to impress others ? If I answer any of those questions with a yes, then I would have to say my motivations are not pure.
I think one of the most difficult things we can do as humans is be subjective about ourselves. To honestly appraise our own actions and motives. That's why it is so difficult to admit doing wrong. We can usually justify our actions, even if only in our own minds. The ability to admit that wrongdoing is a great strength. Also the reason we seek forgiveness. Whether we seek forgiveness from those we did the wrong to, or from our God, we need to reaffirm ourselves. Reassurance.
And so I have reached a conclusion. I should be asking myself, is it motivation or manipulation that drives my responses ? Can the two be separated ? I won't say that I can do that with one hundred percent accuracy. It is certainly something we should all strive for. We will still have disagreements, but at least we could disagree for the right reasons.
You know,sometimes we just have to give ourselves a good talking too ! I've heard others say that and I've used that phrase a few times myself. I think the real trick is, to listen.
The strength of ones beliefs is directly related to motivation .If I believe strongly enough, I will act upon those beliefs. Sounds simple enough. The reality is much more complicated. Does this motivation stem from the actual belief or from me wanting you to believe that it does ? That's the bad part. That is the part that leads us all astray. As humans we are not immune. Do my reactions come from a genuine place ? Do I hope to gain anything from these actions that will benefit only me ? Am I doing this action to try to raise my own self esteem ? Am I trying to impress others ? If I answer any of those questions with a yes, then I would have to say my motivations are not pure.
I think one of the most difficult things we can do as humans is be subjective about ourselves. To honestly appraise our own actions and motives. That's why it is so difficult to admit doing wrong. We can usually justify our actions, even if only in our own minds. The ability to admit that wrongdoing is a great strength. Also the reason we seek forgiveness. Whether we seek forgiveness from those we did the wrong to, or from our God, we need to reaffirm ourselves. Reassurance.
And so I have reached a conclusion. I should be asking myself, is it motivation or manipulation that drives my responses ? Can the two be separated ? I won't say that I can do that with one hundred percent accuracy. It is certainly something we should all strive for. We will still have disagreements, but at least we could disagree for the right reasons.
You know,sometimes we just have to give ourselves a good talking too ! I've heard others say that and I've used that phrase a few times myself. I think the real trick is, to listen.
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