Greetings....
Yes, this writer agrees that the
most challenging action to do is tell the truth for most humans. However, in
this writer's experience, that is the essence of human nature, and it probably
will not change unless people are willing to accept the consequences or rewards
of honesty. Bandura (2006) relates that most people are moral agents, which is
rooted in personal standards of human behavior and is guided by an individual's
"cognitive foundation of morality" (Bandura, 2006, p. 171). Decision
making is or should be considered an important event in one's life. This writer
agrees with "In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your
path" (Proverbs 3:6).
There's an old adage
this writer always uses, you may know it too, it says, a person cannot stop the
birds from flying over their head, but a person can stop them from building a
nest in their hair (hope I said it right, sometimes I can mess it up).
In a nutshell, even when an individual voices their concern with scriptural
support, it still may not be enough to help the other person see a better
solution. One of the things this writer has learned about human nature is that
people will do what they want to do, whether they are Christians or not
Christians.
Another
consideration is that in Harvey's (1988) stories, the common thread of human
nature opposes the self for the benefit of pleasing others. This writer has
often pondered why would an individual of good intellect choose to go against
their better judgment for the sake of making everybody else happy. Psalms 31:24
admonishes the Christian leader and follower to "Be of good courage, and
he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD" (King James
Version).
In
those quiet moments on the way back after deciding, we come to ourselves and
wonder why that decision and not another. This writer remembers the Prodigal
Son's perils in the context of making decisions and going against what he knew
in his heart was the right decision. However, after coming to himself, he
realized that his decisions were not in his best interests but others. This
writer also believes that the stories' point of view is that they can help
individuals focus not on past mistakes but future decisions.
References
Bandura, A. (2006). Toward a psychology of
human agency. Perspectives on Psychological
Science, 1(2), 164–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00011.x
Harvey, J. (1988). The abilene paradox and other
meditations on management. Jossey-Bass.
King James
Bible, King James Version.
(2020). King James Bible Online.
https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Psalms-31-24/. (Original work published 1611)
