How the people around us help or hinder our spiritual journey and our responses.

[amandathebibliophile]

Other people’s behavior can absolutely be an influence in our lives. That being said, we are ultimately responsible for our reactions and decisions.

[Renu G]

The discussion with his parents was a healthy experience that taught him to discern. Children need to mature by reflecting on their life experiences.

[Dorcas Serwaa Adu]

Well, the truth is you can never know. People are different. We all act, think and respond to the environment differently and our perspectives on certain things also differ. Spiritually, a lie can either hinder or help a person progress or deprogress based on how strong they know themselves. In actual sense, self identity is a key note in this matter. Whereas basically, a not so well developed individual in this situation will most definitely suffer spiritual hindrance due to a lie if his ability to judge is very low. Like Richard, he had a very independent mind, and his curious nature got him exploring. But as we all know, our physical environment plays a major role in our growing up whether physically, mentally and or spiritually!

[promise10]

Having a good role model is of great importance, it can make or break a persons believes. He was threatened into believing God from a tender age which was the beginning of his curiosity. The same thing applies in the development of a child, the environment and people around the child do play a significant role.

[Sharon2056]

I think secrets and lies usually hinder someone's spiritual growth since you will always feel guilty on what you're hiding.

[OskaWrites]

I thin there's a fair point in saying that negative and toxic people can hinder your journey, as supportive and loving people can enhance it. I think you can continue with your own spiritual exploration even if people don't believe, as long as they are good to you.

[Juliana_Isabella]

I think it's difficult to be honest with yourself during a spiritual journey if others aren't being honest with you. Parents can open their children to different spiritual possibilities, but if they try to tell their children what to believe, they can also hinder their spiritual growth. I think all parents struggle with finding the balance.

[jemgirl202]

Family beliefs are so very complicated. Especially when one believes in something different. I think family pressures can hinder someone's path, just because we do not want to disappoint them.

[flaming_quills]

Definitely. Especially if the person lying to you is someone you trust, it's very possible that what they say will shape how you think and continue to influence your thoughts for a long time. It's not easy to unlearn things we learned as children.

[shaz1994]

I think the way a person perceives something will depend in his first impression and how someone lives their spiritual life may not necessarily be affected by one's parents in fact it may make on to be more curious. It is said that children do what you do not what you tell them. His father's response made him more curious about religion.

[Bluebird03]

Other people’s behavior can absolutely be an influence in our lives. That being said, we are ultimately responsible for our reactions and decisions.

Well said. We cannot control if other people choose to lie to us and misrepresent themselves; but, we can choose how to respond to them once we learn they are not being truthful. We are ultimately accountable for our choices and spiritual growth.

[Raja28]

The environment one is part of does have a telling effect on the person's spiritual approach. Human character is nothing but the impressions made by the environment on the mind. This is what guides a seeker in his spiritual journey.

[BrittaniDJ]

Allowing someone to lie to me hindered my spiritual journey because when the lie was realized, I lost any foundation I had to stand on. The person who lied to me was so important to me, and helped shape who I thought I was, that when I found out how many lies I had swallowed, I no longer trusted my picture of my identity and it caused me to question everything. It was not a fun journey back to what truth was. God helped me. People who would tell me the truth helped. I am learning more and more every day, that God will give me the answers I need. This book was so helpful with so many things.

[SangeethaNarayan]

People around us can and do make a difference in our spiritual journey. As someone else mentioned though, it also depends on how one chooses to take things. When someone lies to us, we can either take it personally for not seeing through them, or understand that the lie was their choice and not our responsibility. I definitely feel that the author's dad directed him in a very positive direction. Rather than blind faith, he chose to make his own path with regards to spirituality.

[skindrukas]

I believe, alowing someone to lie to you hurts your ego in the first place. And that might affect the way you see or do things. Especially in the childhood.