Sunday, August 26, 2007

Responsibility and Criticism

As I sat and listened to a friend of mine voice his concerns for another mutual friend he asked for advice. As I reflected and began to speak I found myself communicating a deep truth that I had been formulating for some time. I told my friend that intimacy implies responsibility...we become critical of others when we know them well enough to see their flaws, to see their weaknesses...that knowledge is responsibility, the responsibility to speak the truth in a loving way...when we refuse to have the tough conversations we wind up criticizing them...that is why the people you love the most can hurt you the most, because they know you so well, and it's also why we (over time) let fewer and fewer people in.
Intimacy "implies" responsibility or it devolves into criticism...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Interesting juxtaposition...responsibility or passive criticism. Good thoughts. It would seem most people crave the soothing benefits of intimate friendship/comradery without any of the truly constructive gains. I would say that goes both for mere human friendships and even what many seek in a relationship with God through Christ.