“THINK IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU MAY BE MISTAKEN.” ….MORE ON THIS QUAKER STATEMENT « Spirituality « Religion « Jonathan Spencer's Tales of Ordinary Wisdom

“THINK IT POSSIBLE THAT YOU MAY BE MISTAKEN.” ….MORE ON THIS QUAKER STATEMENT

Published on February 20, 2008 at Spirituality

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I have said before how empowering i have found this sentence….however I think often this is how it works: There should be no war…am I mistaken (thinks for 2 seconds) nah, I am right. How hard is it to really think deeply that all you have believed and held dear, perhaps even used as the building blocks of your life may be wrong? Many of us have tennets we use as the structure and constructs for our lives, they determine who we are, who we relate to and the jobs and lives we live…what if in all that,you were mistaken.? Are you willing to encompass that thought…?

The Closest we get to this is when we are forced to it, those (and their families) who are diagnosed with terminal illness, when there is a death of someone close to you, or you marriage or family breaks up.

These kinds of life events and the change in thinking and feeling they bring can often uplift and strengthen a family or in some cases destroy it completely, perhaps this is what we fear, that destruction.

Because of this fear we are unwilling to approach those important subjects surrounded by a kind of invincible ignorance, with our doubts….there is only one God, Jesus, Mohammed, Buddha and so on.

Perhaps doubting Thomas is in the story of Jesus for a reason, in some apocryphal books it is suggested he was Jesus Twin, so that with every act of faith and empowerment comes one of doubt and questioning. Remember also the true meaning of Jihad is “inner struggle”

Perhaps real faith is one that lacks conviction and certainty, one that is racked by doubts and fears, one that is willing to question its own validity and look at its foundations as well as its highest towers….but continues anyway.

Could you think you might be mistaken?

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Jonathan has experience in both the nonprofit and business sectors, working in a consultative capacity and as a project manager with PCTs, charities, the arts, trade unions, businesses and individuals in the areas of Information, motivation, direction and communications development. He has helped organisations as diverse as carers charities and magazine publishers to develop strategy, policy and process to make a more efficient infrastructure. One where staff share in the gains of the organisation and the end user, whether client, patient or customer, receives the highest quality service possible. As well as being an expert in applied information technology and communication he is a qualified and experienced counsellor and motivator.