Right or Kind?

[kygirl]

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. - Dr Wayne W. Dyer”

The above is a quote in the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. So have you ever had to choose between being right or being kind, if so what did you choose & why?

[rockmom]

“When given the choice between being right or being kind, choose kind. - Dr Wayne W. Dyer”

The above is a quote in the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio. So have you ever had to choose between being right or being kind, if so what did you choose & why?

 

I have always been terribly prone to wanting to be right. Over the course of this year, I have been working to become a kind person. It's hard. Much harder to be kind than to be right. I still fail often. I'm not giving up though!

[Science Friction]

Consistently choosing kindness over being right is a choice that keeps you aligned with God's energy. You are only right when you choose kindness.

 

Not always easy b/c most of us are not in perfect alignment with Source Energy. Nevertheless, the choice should always be kindness.

[Science Friction]

I like the question in this thread. Can you imagine the change in the world's energy if people made the deliberate intention to always choose loving kindness over hateful "right-fighting"? Kindness begets kindness and the energy changes from more negative to more positive. Our species would flourish and there would be quantum leap developments as a result of global cooperation and collaboration. Don't wake me up from this dream. In reality, the more we choose hate and tribalism over love , kindness, and acceptance , the closer we get to our seemingly inevitable self-destruction.

[Bengal Maniac]

Depends on the situation. Sometimes being kind can hurt people other than the person you are kind to. For example, if a worker is sick or can no longer do the job, but doesn't see it and doesn't agree, the boss may have to let them go for the good of the company. At times being right in this situation can make the person being right seem heartless.

 

The person may be nice, and a great person but can no longer perform to expectations. Although, I want to be and, I need to be right.

 

I would say, however, being kind is always the best if it doesn't hurt others.

 

There also is the question of doing things right or doing the right thing (Peter Drucker's take on leadership is based on this). I always believed in doing the right thing over doing things rigt as long as it wasn't illegal, immoral or unethical.

[Randy Parker]

Scripture says to speak the truth in love. I think the tendency for a lot of people is to lean more toward one side than the other. Truth without love leads to legalism, while love without truth really isn't love at all.

 

I believe God calls me to maintain a balance between the two; not lean toward one over the other.

[Science Friction]

Scripture says to speak the truth in love. I think the tendency for a lot of people is to lean more toward one side than the other. Truth without love leads to legalism, while love without truth really isn't love at all.

I believe God calls me to maintain a balance between the two; not lean toward one over the other.

 

Explain please, Randy. I believe I know what you are saying but I want to hear you say it. I often equate Love and Truth.

[Randy Parker]

Explain please, Randy. I believe I know what you are saying but I want to hear you say it. I often equate Love and Truth.

 

Well, I'm going to use Scripture to answer this question. The popular "love chapter" of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, says that love--among many things--"rejoices with the truth."

 

If someone I love is living a life of self-destruction, I need to reach out to them in love, which requires me to be truthful. They may reject me, refute me, accuse me of being judgmental, etc. But if I am genuinely looking out for their welfare, then the most loving thing I can do is confront them with a difficult truth.

 

To simply "love" them without identifying the blind spot in their life...that's not really love. If I sit passively by in order to avoid a difficult conversation, then I'm not really loving at all.

[Science Friction]

Well, I'm going to use Scripture to answer this question. The popular "love chapter" of the Bible, 1 Corinthians 13, says that love--among many things--"rejoices with the truth."

 

If someone I love is living a life of self-destruction, I need to reach out to them in love, which requires me to be truthful. They may reject me, refute me, accuse me of being judgmental, etc. But if I am genuinely looking out for their welfare, then the most loving thing I can do is confront them with a difficult truth.

 

To simply "love" them without identifying the blind spot in their life...that's not really love. If I sit passively by in order to avoid a difficult conversation, then I'm not really loving at all.

 

Hypothetically, what if " living the life of self-destruction "included a homosexual lifestyle? Would you identify the blind spot in their life and confront them with a difficult truth or just kindly offer love w/o being judgmental. Confront them(lovingly, of course) with the "error of their ways" or sit passively by and resist the temptation to be "right" ?

[Randy Parker]

Hypothetically, what if " living the life of self-destruction "included a homosexual lifestyle? Would you identify the blind spot in their life and confront them with a difficult truth or just kindly offer love w/o being judgmental. Confront them(lovingly, of course) with the "error of their ways" or sit passively by and resist the temptation to be "right" ?

 

Similar to the woman caught in adultery in John 8, my response should be the same as Jesus. Don't condemn, but also identify sin for what it is.

 

So, confront in love.