The situations we find ourselves in can be very challenging. Going to court to right a wrong is a good idea when you are telling the truth. Holding onto the lie can make you look, well...ridiculous.
Let us look at a rental situation. I wonder who is lying when both the landlord and the tenant claim that the other came onto them. It seems a little suspicious on the part of the landlord that he let the young woman move in without paying first and last month's rent and a security deposit. Any landlord is going to have to wonder where the future rent is coming from when the person has no money to put down. Or, was he looking for something else? The tenant claims the landlord walked in on her while she was sleeping. Did she call the police? No, she did not. Again, you have to wonder why? The underlying story is so full of inconsistencies. The legal issue is that she owes the rent. The moral issue is that this whole situation was far more involved than just business. When the lines get blurred, it it time to get help.
A young woman graduates and goes out to celebrate with her family and friends. Her car gets towed. She is claiming the tow company damaged her brakes by not completely releasing the emergency brake. She has evidence to back this up and wins the case. The bigger issue here is how the tow companies operate. The spotter saw the young woman in her cap and gown and the Judge wonders why he didn't let her know her car was going to be towed. Do they have a moral obligation to let someone know their car is going to be towed? No, they have families to feed. They are doing a job and to give people a heads up is to take money out of their own pocket. The Judge says that the only people that are hated worse than lawyers are tow companies. She is glad to have them in her courtroom! I give the young woman credit for having the evidence to back up her claim. I give the tow personnel credit for being honest. He did say that they will not charge if they tow a car from a handicapped parking spot and the person is truly handicapped and just forgot to hang the placard. This is very nice to hear and does restore my faith in people.
And now a real shame... A 35 year friendship destroyed by $1500.00. Neither of them seem upset by this, so it makes you wonder how good was the friendship. A friend lends another money. It is to be paid back in one week. When he goes to collect, his friend does not answer his calls. Finally, he receives a check that has insufficient funds. The friend sending the check claims he is returning a finder's fee for a job and not paying back the loan, that it was never a loan. Once again, I stress the importance of getting agreements in writing. The initial loan should have been a check with the word loan written on the memo line. The Judge reminds everyone the memo line on the check is very important.
Please let me know what you think of these situations. Thank you for joining me today.
Remember: Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are.
- Marianne Williamson
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