Hi there,
So much like the silver line ("partially right, most of the time, is moral") the idea behind having the right tone, is something that can help us maintain a moral life with others. If we have the wrong tone, it is likely that we will forget the expectations of others and we ourselves will not be able to be restored to our rightful place. The right tone, is one that give us place and not only that but place for those with us. No one has the total picture, as to who should be relating to what and how. These things come together, when we trust our witness to the Holy Spirt and thanks to the Holy Spirit, we are able to train our minds on it.
So how do we train our mind on being tonally sound? As relates to the deciding factor? Well, it comes down to what you imply when you speak, in principle. If I say "I want some cake", but I say it in a way that sounds like I am distressed, I communicate that I am disturbed by the idea that I want cake. This is a simple example, but it establishes that this works in a micro-setting - the macro-setting should work the same! If I say "I appreciate dark-skinned people" but I say it in a way that suggests that I can't, I communicate that I have a false belief about dark-skinned people. Tone should be the deciding factor - I should be impressed that dark-skinned people have dark-skin: it is a marvel of God's design. Thus, when I say "I appreciate dark-skinned people" I should be saying it with a tone that suggests that I want to be friends to dark-skinned people.
The importance of striking the right tone, is enhanced in situations where a "moral decision" needs to be made. If - as in the trolley problem - I am presented with the possibility of pushing a fat man on to the tracks of a runaway trolley, to save the many lives of people stranded on the tracks further ahead, the way in which I characterize the fat man will affect my judgment. If I say to myself "he is fat" and I suggest that he is worthy of criticism, I may not value his life; if I say "he is fat, but he is still human" in a way that suggests I should aim to preserve his life, then I am going to value his life. Now the moral thing to do, is to leave the fat man alone, because you can't be moral about something that changes with circumstance (the fat man may be there one day, and not the next - therefore not making "partially right, most of the time").
The efficacy in this way of thinking, about adopting the right tone and making it most of the deciding factor, is that ultimately it leaves people a choice. Do they heed the fact as it is presented, or do they wait for more information? Do they decide to act immediately, or do they attempt to rephrase the development for themselves? You can work it, out, you can negotiate it - if someone says "this is the deciding factor, this way" and they imply that there is no alternative, they are making the tone of what they are saying persuasive irrespective of time. Such a decision is forced and cannot serve the world, because it does not attempt to reflect the world, at all. This is where madness and vexation creep in. People attempt to short-cut decisions by attempting to force the tone, and make it apply in more situations than is believable.
We can be forgiven for adopting the wrong tone, for being too belonging and not giving others a chance to arrive at the deciding factor on their own. We should look to God for a clean slate in this, that we might convey His message more fully. God adopts the right tone, and does not attempt to make it the right tone all of the time. We can trust God, because even Jesus did not force His Cross down our throats. Christ adopts a stance that allows for the deciding factor to grow from the circumstances from which it is planted. We must be humble and allow the deciding factor to be what it needs to be, for the Lord.
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you and that you will be able to adopt the right tone for most of the deciding factor.
God bless.
So much like the silver line ("partially right, most of the time, is moral") the idea behind having the right tone, is something that can help us maintain a moral life with others. If we have the wrong tone, it is likely that we will forget the expectations of others and we ourselves will not be able to be restored to our rightful place. The right tone, is one that give us place and not only that but place for those with us. No one has the total picture, as to who should be relating to what and how. These things come together, when we trust our witness to the Holy Spirt and thanks to the Holy Spirit, we are able to train our minds on it.
So how do we train our mind on being tonally sound? As relates to the deciding factor? Well, it comes down to what you imply when you speak, in principle. If I say "I want some cake", but I say it in a way that sounds like I am distressed, I communicate that I am disturbed by the idea that I want cake. This is a simple example, but it establishes that this works in a micro-setting - the macro-setting should work the same! If I say "I appreciate dark-skinned people" but I say it in a way that suggests that I can't, I communicate that I have a false belief about dark-skinned people. Tone should be the deciding factor - I should be impressed that dark-skinned people have dark-skin: it is a marvel of God's design. Thus, when I say "I appreciate dark-skinned people" I should be saying it with a tone that suggests that I want to be friends to dark-skinned people.
The importance of striking the right tone, is enhanced in situations where a "moral decision" needs to be made. If - as in the trolley problem - I am presented with the possibility of pushing a fat man on to the tracks of a runaway trolley, to save the many lives of people stranded on the tracks further ahead, the way in which I characterize the fat man will affect my judgment. If I say to myself "he is fat" and I suggest that he is worthy of criticism, I may not value his life; if I say "he is fat, but he is still human" in a way that suggests I should aim to preserve his life, then I am going to value his life. Now the moral thing to do, is to leave the fat man alone, because you can't be moral about something that changes with circumstance (the fat man may be there one day, and not the next - therefore not making "partially right, most of the time").
The efficacy in this way of thinking, about adopting the right tone and making it most of the deciding factor, is that ultimately it leaves people a choice. Do they heed the fact as it is presented, or do they wait for more information? Do they decide to act immediately, or do they attempt to rephrase the development for themselves? You can work it, out, you can negotiate it - if someone says "this is the deciding factor, this way" and they imply that there is no alternative, they are making the tone of what they are saying persuasive irrespective of time. Such a decision is forced and cannot serve the world, because it does not attempt to reflect the world, at all. This is where madness and vexation creep in. People attempt to short-cut decisions by attempting to force the tone, and make it apply in more situations than is believable.
We can be forgiven for adopting the wrong tone, for being too belonging and not giving others a chance to arrive at the deciding factor on their own. We should look to God for a clean slate in this, that we might convey His message more fully. God adopts the right tone, and does not attempt to make it the right tone all of the time. We can trust God, because even Jesus did not force His Cross down our throats. Christ adopts a stance that allows for the deciding factor to grow from the circumstances from which it is planted. We must be humble and allow the deciding factor to be what it needs to be, for the Lord.
I hope this has been of some encouragement to you and that you will be able to adopt the right tone for most of the deciding factor.
God bless.
