What are your pet peeves? I confess to having a few. On examination, it’s pretty obvious that they relate to spiritual principles. Have you ever thought about yours in this way? For example, here are a few of mine:
Lying. It’s one human behavior deserving of zero tolerance. I know some otherwise fine people who skirt on the edge of honesty. They twist the facts, omit key information or downright tell little fibs, just to help themselves or situations look better or worse depending on their point-of-view. The tragedy is that they don’t realize it’s still lying and produces a negative impact on their lives–e.g., losing the respect of friends and families who are on to them.
Stealing. Don’t get me started on this one! It’s a horrible characteristic that permeates most of society. We’re all familiar with the big and obvious stealing that occurs. However, it also applies to the little and not-so-obvious stealing, Most people are thieves to some degree! Don’t commit to your paid work as you should–it’s stealing. Take some office supplies home from work–it’s stealing. Not returning something you borrow–it’s stealing. Noticing an error in a store or restaurant not charging you for something you purchase without correcting the error–it’s stealing. Picking flowers or removing plants from someone’s property without permission–it’s stealing. Using some entity’s registered logos to make items to sell–it’s stealing. There are hundreds of examples.
Littering. This one was my dad’s #1 pet peeve. It’s disheartening to drive and see litter on the ground–paper, bottles, trash of all kinds. Oftentimes it can be dangerous, too.
Damaging property. Many people knowingly damage others’ property and make zero effort to inform the owner and take responsibility for their actions. On a recent trip we discovered a strip of paint rubbed off of our car bumper, creating the first mark on our car in three years of ownership and resulting in a repair. We arrived at our Townsend home to find big truck had backed into our split rails and disturbed the landscaping. A pest company sprayed our home for boring bees but omitted doing the SW corner, which was subsequently damaged as a result.
I could mention other pet peeves as I’m certain you could, too. Every example I’ve cited shows a violation of some spiritual principle. I think it’s safe to say that as our country continues its moral spiral downward, these kinds of things will become even more prominent.
What are your pet peeves? Do you see the spiritual connection?