Replies

LOL! I guess that doesn’t speak well for the people with whom you associate. I don’t know anyone who drives on a suspended license, uses drugs or otherwise scoffs at the law.

Well, it's indicative of those who tend to isolate themselves from people, except for a small group that they wish to associate with. In my history, of working with people in all positions in society, you find this is true. You come across them from my varied background over many years, from college days to later work years, to working with the police to interacting with people in many public situations.

In one of my capacities that I worked in, I had to work with the police in a downtown situation, a lot, with building security. And you get to talk to a lot of police and find out how they operate. Besides that, you end up talking with a lot of people and you don't end up in a "dialog" with them, if you are condemning. It's an art to be able to engage in such conversations, know and understand where they are coming from and what they do, while at the same time, not necessarily condoning what they may be doing, and certainly not looking down your nose at them. Security people and/or police will have to develop that kind of interaction with the public, while they also enforce the law, and also decide which of many things they will simply let go and ignore for other reasons.

In another capacity, of working with social service agencies, you come across a lot of people, in the same way. And also, in that capacity, you don't condemn or criticize, but seek to help people find "ways out" of where they are at. In the process of helping them find "ways out" -- of course you're going to find out what their present situation is.

And in another area, where it has to do with the living situations of a lot of people (residences), you end up finding out a lot of information about people and how they really live. Again, this is another area where you don't criticize or condmemn.

One of the things you find out right away -- is -- if on a "one-on-one" level, you get condemning and critical, people will clam up and not say or share things. But, if you're not that way, but are open and able to dialog, you'll find them telling you things that they basically would tell no one else. I've always been able to get people to open up in private, one-on-one situations with no problems. It's never been a problem for me.

So, it's actually more indicative (in my case) of being able to dialog, one-on-one, in such a way that people feel comfortable in revealing things that are normally kept hidden and quiet. And that's the key -- and that's how you find out. I find that a lot of people can't do that.

And furthermore, most families have all sorts of these kinds of "stories" buried in the past, in one thing or another or some kind of trouble that a family member or two have gotten into. Normally people are not going to volunteer this sort of information. There's probably not a single family around, that can't find one of these stories in their extended family. I know I sure can. People that don't think so, just don't listen close enough or pay attention.

In listening to people about their own families (extended and otherwise), I've come to the conclusion that there is no "normal" family around -- it's more or less, something that exists for "appearances" more than anything else. When you get "down to the facts" -- every family has all sorts of skeletons that are buried and talked about in whispers and in quiet corners.

And the Bible bears this out, in that it makes it very clear that the "heart" is desperately wicked and that all have sinned and that this sin is so bad that it is absolutely putrid to God and His righteousness. There are simply a lot of people running around pretending to be righteous, while keeping a lot of secrets.

Regards,
Star Traveler