Are you a person of your word?

RA40

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Messages
1,397
Location
So. Cal
I've conducted myself that when I agree to something, I see it through. As a part time knifemaker, I've continued that as well. A delivery time is a contract by my eyes so when I state a time, it's the goal. If I cannot be a person of my word, it bothers me.

When it comes to others who promise me things...I dunno how they can lie while looking me in the eye. Do these people have such low integrity that they let things fly out of their mouth without regard?

It's sad because I have tended to view people as forthcoming and sincere but the longer I continue to interact with people, a large distrust is growing. Certainly there are those who do not deserve the grilling. After getting burned enough, how can one avoid not testing the waters to verify these people?

Your thoughts/experiences?
 

Empath

Flashaholic
Joined
Nov 11, 2001
Messages
8,508
Location
Oregon
We have a Jeers forum for when a problem crops up. Since there is no one named here toward whom a jeer is directed, I'm not going to move it there.

Yes, Mike, there's bad guys and good guys. Let's talk of them in the proper forums in the manner in which the proper forums are intended. Thread closed.

Edit: Nevermind - it's reopened.
 
Last edited:

Sigman

* The Arctic Moderator *
Joined
Sep 25, 2002
Messages
10,124
Location
"The 49th State"
A person's honesty, integrity, "their word" are very important/required qualities to me! I try to be a man of my word as much as possible. I do sometimes have a problem with "time" - as in I'll be there at 1:00- and then something gets in the way and I'm late! I do try to communicate that to those who need to know out of respect.

We are human and outside influences can muck up things at times. Then we just have to be willing to communicate that. Communication is the root & resolution of soooooo many of our problems today!

Additionally, I'm open minded and willing to "man up" and admit when I'm wrong as well as apologize & make amends.
 

RA40

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Oct 15, 2004
Messages
1,397
Location
So. Cal
Thanks Empath.

It's not directed at any here on CPF rather a generic comment and discussion topic. I had a dealing with a contractor which I was having some work on the house done. He came highly recommended and like most projects, there are snags to work through. I wrote him a letter and we discussed it face to face, which he stated he'd take care of it.

It makes me wonder how some will say almost anything to please the situation but don't really intend on following through. I suppose for those folk their conscious is cold. <shrug> It's frustrating because it's lost time and my faith drops with each occurrence. :( My trusting nature only goes for so long yet I don't want to lose myself to these types. It has made me question many things regarding society and human upbringing. :(
 
Last edited:

knot

Banned
Joined
Apr 5, 2007
Messages
731
Location
SW Washington
I hold my self to the highest degree of honesty and integrity and I expect others to be the same. Consequently, I don't have many friends.
 

nerdgineer

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
May 7, 2004
Messages
2,778
Location
Southern California
I do my best to keep my commitments, but it would be stupid of me to expect that of others until I got to know them pretty well.

Honorable people who've been around will understand if you have to take precautions against potential dishonest behavior on their part. Those who take offense are either very naive or are trying to manipulate you because they want something, i.e. the exact ones who warrant your precautions. Which one is your call, but the precautions stand in either case.

And I try not to sweat the small stuff. No one is perfect and life is too short.

Just my 2 cents...
 
Last edited:

eebowler

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Dec 18, 2003
Messages
1,735
Location
Trinidad and Tobago.
knot said:
I hold my self to the highest degree of honesty and integrity and I expect others to be the same. Consequently, I don't have many friends.
. Yeah, after a complete disaster with three of my closest 'friends' a year ago, (two unrelated incidents) I've decided not to lable anyone as a friend anymore. Things fell apart because I expected them to be honest, considerate, loyal etc but they wern't and it took me too long to find out...


RA40 said:
how can one avoid not testing the waters to verify these people?
A former friend always accused me of 'testing people'. I never saw it like that. I saw it as evaluating them (since I never intentionally created a situation to test them). In a given situation, I'll make observations of a person's behavior, decisions etc and from that, form expectations so I'll know what to expect/be prepared for, the next time they're in the same or similar situation... I explained this to her and she told me to "have no expectations" and that I should stop testing people. How the hell can one 'have no expectations'? If you reach late once, twice, three times, am I to erase my freaking memory the fourth time and not expect that you'll come late again? (Of course this same person has some sever 'dumb blond' traits so maybe she was just trying to defend her type of people. :shrug:

RA40, you can't avoid it. Give people a chance or two or more but always be honest with yourself about how much you're willing to take and when that end point is reached, open your mouth and say what you have to say. Sometimes people need a little push or even a kick in the right direction. Maybe you'll loose business, maybe not but in the end, it's up to you how much you're willing to take.
 

FlashKat

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Mar 18, 2006
Messages
2,364
Location
Anaheim, CA.
I find about 80 percent of the people I deal with seem to have very little integrity, loyalty, sense of pride, work ethics. I started people watching where you watch people on how they act, respond, talk, think, etc. and find these people more like Homer Simpson.
 

fnmag

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Sep 2, 2006
Messages
2,092
Location
Desert Southwest
For arguments sake, I'll put spirituality aside. All you have in this world is your word. If your word is no good, then....:thumbsdow
 

Casual Flashlight User

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Jun 26, 2006
Messages
1,263
Location
England
fnmag said:
For arguments sake, I'll put spirituality aside. All you have in this world is your word. If your word is no good, then....
thumbsdown.gif

Spot on.


CFU
 

woodrow

Flashlight Enthusiast
Joined
Feb 7, 2006
Messages
2,027
Location
New Mexico
I am in sales, and thats one of the toughest things about the job. I sell furniture for a local company. When someone asks me how long an item will take to come in...I am not sure what answer to give. Often it will come in in 2-3 weeks, but sometimes if money is slow, and the owner does not want to write a ten or fifteen thousand dollar check to a certian vendor, it can take 6 to 8 weeks. And, you cannot tell the customer, "sorry business is slow, and the owner has not sent the check yet..."

Thats the big struggle with sales for me, I can try really hard to keep my part of a promise...but I cannot control the whole situation. Then when it all falls apart, I am the bad guy. Oh well, such is life.
 

firefly99

Enlightened
Joined
May 22, 2005
Messages
748
woodrow said:
Often it will come in in 2-3 weeks, but sometimes if money is slow, and the owner does not want to write a ten or fifteen thousand dollar check to a certian vendor, it can take 6 to 8 weeks. And, you cannot tell the customer, "sorry business is slow, and the owner has not sent the check yet...".
Sound so familiar, my ex-boss hate writing cheques but love receiving them. It really sour the relationship between a lot of vendors and the company. It often end up with delay delivery to the customer.

Now the company had gone chapter 11. Thanks God.
 

waynejitsu

Enlightened
Joined
Sep 10, 2006
Messages
436
knot said:
I hold my self to the highest degree of honesty and integrity and I expect others to be the same. Consequently, I don't have many friends.


Hmmmm...,
That sounds familiar:)

I was brought up that "a man is only as good as their word".

I hang on to that and believe that and live that.
Obviously, there arevery, very few that live up to that, but those are my standards and I expect it as much as I honer it.

Real friends are few and far between. It seems strange that more often than not, I find a friend on the internet that is thousands of miles away that is more honerable than people looking you in the eye.
 
Top