The currency of Credibility
In one of the cover notes on our Twilight Waltz album, I was reflecting on what an important thing that credibility is; the more I have thought about, the more I am lead to believe that it is in fact the only real currency that we have when we enter into relationships with other humans. You think about this for a moment.., go on, I’ll leave a couple of lines for your thoughts.
I would even add that credibility & integrity are the two major character issues that define each & every one of us as humans. And I guess tha the lack of these character traits also give definition to a person. Let me give you a couple of examples. I remember chatting witha friend once & we were discussing a mutual friend who had called them up just recently, neither of them having spoken to one another for some years. After the initial “hey how great to hear from you” the conversation turned tp the real reason that our mutual friend was calling & that was because he was selling something. What was a pleasant catch up turned very quickly into am awkward moment as my friend realised that our mutual friend was simply using an old contact to make a sale. No credibility, & very little integrity in the basic premis for calling.
Here’s another side to the issue; when I think back about the people who have stood out in my life as major influences (& there have been many) the defining trait that warms my heart is that they were all people of great credibility & integrity. I’m thinking right now of one small in stature but giant hearted Catholic priest, Fr Pat Jackson, who has laid down his life to serve thousands upon thousands of people with the message of the Gospel; and the funny thing is that of all of the words I have heard him speak, of all of the training I have been through at his hands, I can remember only snippets of what he said, but I have a vivid picture of who he was, & indeed, who he still is. It’s the credibility & integrity that although flawed like all of us, he really did live what he preached.
I think when you meet people like that, you just want to spend time with them; you know that you can trust them & you understand that it is possible to live a life of credibility & integrity.
So what to do with this post then? I would really love to explore the characteristics both good & bad, that define people. In this era where we are talking about the evolution & origin of morals I would love to hear a few stories about the characteristics that define people as either good or bad. If you can, it would be great to hear stories about people that you know that embody your understanding of this
Cheers
MM
May 2nd, 2007 at 11:03 pm
I think you’re pretty spot on with those two descriptions. I see alot of people, probably most people really, just existing, going from one challenge to the next; work, family, money, and so on. What this creates is a lifestyle based on yourself, not on others and not how you are received, just what can I do to get what I want!
So, how great a thought to have everyone stop and think about themselves in this light, do I have credibility and integrity in the things I do and the relationships I have every day. Allowing these two ideas to structure your behaviour/actions would, I imagine, have an enormous effect.
People that stand out for me are those that do walk a different path than the majority, lay down their own desires for the benefit of others.
I have been lucky enough to know ex Senator Syd Spindler, a man who has done so much good for our Indigenous Australians. From a hands on role in working through the Mabo legislation to, even in his later years, helping Worawa College raise funds to provide essential services to the kids that live there.
His passion for helping others at his age is remarkable.
Another local hero I admire would be Les Twentyman, a man who looks at society and all it’s inhabitants and seeks out those who dwell at it’s lowest, ugliest points. Most of us avoid and think very little about those he helps everyday.
The credibility and integrity of these two gentlemen is something I can only aspire to.
May 9th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I don’t think it’s important what they do on a big scale, it’s how people deal with the small stuff. I can’t stand it when people feed the poor, tend to the sick, visit the lonely, but leave their own wives/children/parents to fend for themselves. Your own flock is the most important.
I tend to see how people are treating their loved ones as the most important. Of course if your family life is up to scratch then go ahead and minister to others. But Jesus said “don’t let the sun go down on an argument” and “if you have a quarell with your brother, go fix that first” (I paraphrase!) Integrity and credibility start in the home I guess.
May 23rd, 2007 at 10:00 am
Sweetums, you make some good points here. If there is a sense of abandonment in the home whilst the parent(s) are off doing some good work or another, then this has the potential to do great harm.
However on the other side of that, is the household where parent(s) conistently model self sacrificial behaviour, above & beyond the call of personal gain or profit. This can have the power to beautifully shift the status quo of the world of the child, & bring them up in a house where self sacrifice is the norm; As long as their basic physical & emotional needs are cared for, then this approach has the potential to raise children that are acutely aware of a world that exists beyond the church of electronic indoctrination. This happens solely becaus the parent(s) are trading on the currency of credibility
MM