Hows this for practical applications of beliefs

1. 68

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   A victim treats his mugger to dinner
   
   http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor … mmentBlock
   
   What aspect of your belief system have you actually put in practice? (forum ranting is not a good answer   )
   
   Particularly anything that would seem amazing or foolish to a non- believer of your faith(s)/philosophies?

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   1. 90

      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      I have argued with you - does that qualify as amazing or foolish  ? :-)
      
      But more seriously, when people have asked me to borrow small sums of money (say $200 or less), I refuse to do that.  I just give it to them, no strings attached., no repayment desired.  I figure if they need to borrow money, they probably really need it.

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2. 79

   Aficionadaposted 13 years ago

   I love the story! and I would love to know how you found it (it's two years old).
   
   And, of course I would love to make a contribution to this forum conversation - but the drawback here is that for people who have beliefs that affect their everyday actions, their activities seem normal.  They might have difficulty recognizing that other people would view the actions as foolish or amazing.  Just sayin'....

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   1. 68

      sunforgedposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      @aficionada -In my experience people are very vocal in expressing disdain for those who act upon their ideals.
      
      The story was shared with me in my Facebook feed
      
      @pcunix - Ill leave past arguments in the past. We disagrre, ill leave at that , our debate styles do not mesh and just creates an endless circle.
      
      Unfortunately, $200 is a bit over my gift budget, but I also try and practice a similar set of actions, often its time and effort that is given away though. its hard for most to even ask a friend for money, its kind of you to remove the inevitable uncomfortableness of the repayment schedule.
      
      Does this practice stem from any definable belief structure or is just a private philosophy?

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      1. 90

         Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

         Well, it probably comes from having had to struggle myself.  When we were first married, we had very little and life was hard.   When I see someone in trouble, I want to help if I can.  I see images of my wife and I in our poor years.
         
         Unfortunately, this recession has killed all but the smallest of that generosity.
         
         I am sure we will find something to butt heads over eventually, but we think alike here.

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3. 68

   sunforgedposted 13 years ago

   Commendable to have memory, its surprising how often people forget they were not always on top.

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   1. 90

      Pcunixposted 13 years agoin reply to this

      If this is the top, why does the bottom seem so close?
      
      Seriously, if you fell from the "great heights" I am at, you might not even notice :-)

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4. 79

   Aficionadaposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for sharing it, sunforged!
   
   For a previous discussion on charitable giving, see http://hubpages.com/forum/topic/47300?p … ost1089259
   
   I admit that I am reluctant to tell other people any things that I have done or still do to "act out my ideals."  It feels like bragging to me, and I would rather just let my actions speak for themselves to the people who are affected.  Don't you think that is probably true for most people?
   
   I definitely commend Pcunix for the generosity mentioned.

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5. 79

   Aficionadaposted 13 years ago

   In the NPR-related story, one of the most awesome applications of beliefs was simply the way the victim treated the mugger like a fellow human being, rather than like a criminal.
   
   As touched on earlier, there are many different ways to act on beliefs - some related to money, but some not.  In one church (yes, there) class, I remember an emphasis being placed on giving the gift of "receiving."  In other words, sometimes people like to be only the person who gives to others.  But the other person has the right to give also, if they can.  And it's impossible to give a gift if no one will receive it.  So, one important gift to give to others is to allow them to do something for you - give a gift, treat you special in some way, wash your car.... 
   
   I don't mean by this that we should allow others to redefine important boundaries.  I'm talking about being willing to lay aside the pride of always being the giver or the server, to allow another person that privilege occasionally.
   
   And also, [ looking down....  shuffling toe in the dust.... avoiding eye contact.... blinking very rapidly and nearly hyper-ventilating.... ] sometimes it is a real gift to allow another person to be right.

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