There’s an old cliché, “your word is your bond”. Ever hear it?
Well in the end, it’s true. You
can have all the legal documents you want stating this or that, you can have
witnesses claiming this or that, and you can promise this or that until you’re
blue in the face, but ‘your word’ is more than just air across your lips. In regards to trust, ‘your word’ refers also
to your intentions, beliefs, character, conviction, and worth. Pretty heady huh? I know to some it might seem like I’m going too
far or being a bit grandiose, but am I?
People are who they are and their actions speak silent words. Words you can trust or distrust depending on
the person and circumstances.
I think the best answer is to stay true to your own personal
convictions, reinforce in your own mind what is right, true, and honorable, and
go from there. Despite how hard you may
try, you can’t change anyone but yourself.
So don’t waste valuable mental energy trying to exact change from anyone
but you. The stronger sense of positive
integrity you have for yourself will reveal, in one way or the other, the
negativity of the other person. Now this
isn’t a perfect answer. It doesn’t
negate the daily, or weekly, or momentary struggles you may have with this
problem. Sadly, there is not silver
bullet, no magic pill, no incantation that will wash away the problem. We must all deal with it. Being steadfast in your own integrity will
help follow you through to the other side and stay true to your own mission.
Comments and questions are always welcome. Thanks for reading.
There is also the lingering, stinging feeling of stupidity after having been betrayed, or feeling as though you betrayed yourself. While I would not begin to compare my situation with yours, mine nonetheless served as a reminder to never be so stupid again. A healthy lesson, until it festered into bitterness. There is only one reason I healed and grew from that place, and it's not the man I'm about to marry. Learning to love again is profound, but not more important than knowing who you are and what is important to you. That cannot be sacrificed for anything or you are prone to repeat a bitter cycle.
ReplyDeleteThe key is recognizing what the mistake was in the first place. The more you grow as a person, the more you can recognize where you went wrong and what lead to being in a position where being betrayed can happen. I immediately recognized Some of the issues that led to my situation. It took many years after that to identify the underlying issues I wasn't even aware of at first.
DeleteI only came to that deeper understanding because I accepted the fact that I had failing that, up until that point, I didn't even know I had. Now recognizing that fact, I've learned a lot more. I know some people are completely unprepared and unwilling to do that. That's where the bitter cycle comes in to play.