LICC - Word for the Week - Tightrope walking

Monday, July 12, 2004 11:27 AM

Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or
take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers. Psalm 1:1

A thirteen year old girl on a school trip to a seaside town, actively helped some of her classmates to hide shoplifted goods from their teachers. When questioned she talked about commitment to friends, about peer group loyalty, about not being a telltale, and about the fear of being a goody-goody and being ostracised. Some parents, fearing such pressures and influences, home-school their children, wanting them to mature and grow in Christian wisdom before they face the challenge of maintaining their integrity in the complex relationships of social living.
Yet, even mature adults don't always find it easy to maintain warm working relationships and their Christian integrity when they live and work closely with all kinds of people. Choices, of course, are not always clear-cut.
Sometimes we can see clearly that we are faced with an issue that involves us following wicked advice or joining with scoffers' destructive cynicism. But, like the girl on the school outing, we too can see the importance of maintaining good relationships with colleagues and bosses, wondering whether a compromise would be better than sacrificing our influence. Besides scoffers can be very funny.
Rudyard Kipling defined maturity as being able to 'talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch.' - a maturity that doesn't try too hard to please and doesn't sacrifice integrity to keep the peace. We do not hold back from full and fruitful relationships whether work, club, school or community, but we may sometimes have to say no and walk away. The decision may be very painful, but many have found unexpected allies who were longing for someone to take the lead. We may never know the consequences for good that may result from our deciding not to follow bad advice, walk the wrong path, or join in the scoffing.

Margaret Killingray

'If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, or walk with kings, nor lose the common touch.' We commit ourselves to maintaining our integrity in the complex relationships of social living.