Men - November 2, Touchstones Honesty is stronger medicine than sympathy, which may console but often conceals. —Gretel Ehrlich We owe our brothers and sisters in this program our honest feedback. And we need the same honesty from them. There are times in meetings when it would be easiest to give someone sympathy and privately mutter to ourselves, He isnt facing the bitter truth. That sympathy avoids a confrontation, but it doesnt give the healing medicine of honesty. In the same way, we may long, at times, for someone to give us warm strokes, and what they give instead is a bitter pill. The most important thing we have to give one another is the truth of what we see and hear. We dont have to tell them what to do. We dont have to have all the right answers. But we do have the obligation to speak up about how things look to us. And we need to listen without defensiveness when others are honest with us. Today, I will say what I see and hear. I will listen to other peoples honesty with me. From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 14:12:12 +0000