Values

I don't believe in preaching - telling people what is right and what is wrong. It seldom works. You should teach values by living them. But sometimes things need to be made explicit.

So here you go - this is the way I try to live, although at times I fail:

For me the most important principle in life is: love your fellows -
I mean the sort of love which is included in the Christian tradition. And love does not always mean being nice. Often it requires being harsh and critical - ask your parents :) If you love someone, you want them to be good. What is more, it is easy to love those who love you, but to love those who hurt you or do not share your beliefs and ideals is a real challenge. I try to follow another Christian principle here: "hate the sin but love the sinner." From this core idea all others derive: tolerance - but not for those who do harm to others, respect for the individual (big or small), and, yes, forgiveness. I cannot live in conflict. Conflict kills me. It takes away all my power, all my ideas and motivation. So I do my best to forgive. But to forgive is not to forget. Not so easy.

Would you like to say in your blogs what you believe in?