We Just Can't Ask?
People are funny. Humans are a peculiar species. We have these incredible abilities. Yet, somehow, we slip... severely.
One of the worse things I've seen many of my fellow humans do is simply to embrace those lesser qualities and then fall back on the old saw "we're only human." I guess it's human to do that, but isn't the whole point of being enlightened and intelligent in the first place rising above all of these baser instincts? Some of these very people call themselves religious, no less, even educated. And still, they do it.
I do it, who am I kidding.
But God truly knows that I am trying. In order to be more Christ-like, as Christians are expected, I want to (notice; I do not say have to).
One of those habits that make us truly "human", I suppose, is the assumption. Does anyone really have an idea of how potentially destructive an assumption can be? We see a poorly dressed man in the bookstore and assume he is a derelict and just seeking shelter, when in fact he might not be that at all. We see the genuinely homeless and assume they are drunkards. We see someone wearing a turban and assume their Muslim, or that those black kids on the corner are up to no good, or that the good odd looking fellow around the corner a pervert. We assume. We don't ask.
That's not to say that people won't lie about themselves. Many of the guilty do just that. But an assumption, or simply assuming, is a very wide brush. How many lives have been ruined by that, who knows. Rumor and innuendo travel very fast indeed. They are usually unstoppable if left unchecked.
The sad thing is, most of those with whom we paint with that brush are totally innocent. To be honest, though, those things we deride in others are often times those demons we carry ourselves.
Christ oftentimes compelled us to rise above this (witness the incident in John 8). As Christians, we're supposed to. He even said that the second most important commandment was to love one another (Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39, Luke 10:27). We fail, because we see someone and assume we know what is in their hearts.
Trust me here; Only God knows what is there.
One of the attributes that sets us apart from other creatures is our ability to communicate complex ideas and thoughts. Is there any harm in simply asking someone if we have doubts about them? If they lie, sooner or later, they'll be caught (it is far from easy to perpetuate a lie than to admit a truth). But there is no harm in asking. If we don't, we really have no right to criticize.
One of the worse things I've seen many of my fellow humans do is simply to embrace those lesser qualities and then fall back on the old saw "we're only human." I guess it's human to do that, but isn't the whole point of being enlightened and intelligent in the first place rising above all of these baser instincts? Some of these very people call themselves religious, no less, even educated. And still, they do it.
I do it, who am I kidding.
But God truly knows that I am trying. In order to be more Christ-like, as Christians are expected, I want to (notice; I do not say have to).
One of those habits that make us truly "human", I suppose, is the assumption. Does anyone really have an idea of how potentially destructive an assumption can be? We see a poorly dressed man in the bookstore and assume he is a derelict and just seeking shelter, when in fact he might not be that at all. We see the genuinely homeless and assume they are drunkards. We see someone wearing a turban and assume their Muslim, or that those black kids on the corner are up to no good, or that the good odd looking fellow around the corner a pervert. We assume. We don't ask.
That's not to say that people won't lie about themselves. Many of the guilty do just that. But an assumption, or simply assuming, is a very wide brush. How many lives have been ruined by that, who knows. Rumor and innuendo travel very fast indeed. They are usually unstoppable if left unchecked.
The sad thing is, most of those with whom we paint with that brush are totally innocent. To be honest, though, those things we deride in others are often times those demons we carry ourselves.
Christ oftentimes compelled us to rise above this (witness the incident in John 8). As Christians, we're supposed to. He even said that the second most important commandment was to love one another (Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39, Luke 10:27). We fail, because we see someone and assume we know what is in their hearts.
Trust me here; Only God knows what is there.
One of the attributes that sets us apart from other creatures is our ability to communicate complex ideas and thoughts. Is there any harm in simply asking someone if we have doubts about them? If they lie, sooner or later, they'll be caught (it is far from easy to perpetuate a lie than to admit a truth). But there is no harm in asking. If we don't, we really have no right to criticize.
posted by Robert at 7:42 PM
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