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
7 Comments:
What a profound statement
And you have no idea how many times I've dealt with that personal demon. Yes, I use the term "I'm only human". Doesn't change the fact that this behavior is a choice, and one that I've made many times. I've gotten better, but still feel as if I've a long way to go. Does it make one a hypocrite to acknowledge their own failings whilst commenting on the same?
Memento mori....
Perhaps and then again, perhaps not. But, if a person lives the life of a hypocrite while acknowledging their failings and whilst commenting about it, would it in not, be hypocritical to comment about themselves without looking for some long term solution to change ones own habits or, as previously mentioned, choices?
And in the words of the Bard, aye, that's the rub.
Acknowledging one's faults begins the journey towards correcting them. I can't be judgmental without a degree of guilt. Since I do not wish to feel the guilt, and since judging others without doing your own soul searching is hollow at best, obviously the right path is to try and change those behaviors.
I'm trying, to be sure. The entry itself was written at a point this past summer where I was finding myself on the receiving end of such, and it stirred reflection. I know I've written about it before, but the only way forward is to acknowledge what we've done wrong, make amends as best we can, and essentially "sin no more".
Or at least try.
RL
My original comment still stands. This was a profound statement. The concept that originally drew my attention to it was the statement of the fallacy of the human nature to analize and judge things without the basis of further evidence. In the science field that I am in, this is called a "Theory". It isn't until concrete evidence, proof or even further collabirating theories are applied that allows us to bring this into something "Proven".The great poet Tommy Lee Jones once stated "Assumption is the mother of all screw ups". In the world of human nature, this could not be closer to the truth of things. We all assume things. Many times with assuming, we forget another true human trait, and that is the desire for the pursuit of truth. We sometimes jump to our own conclusions, assume things, or to steal another cliche, only listen to half the story. What we should do is reserve "judgement" until the "theory" becomes "proven". The only one that Knows All without having to ask, examine or prove is God.
Well said.
RL
Very well said. Too well do I know this tangled path for I have transversed it as well. And I likewise mostly agree with the ending of your previous message as well Robert. The amends that we make should be in direct proportion to any disruption or dispute we may have caused. In a situation that I unfortunately found myself sadly tangled within, I saw a rapid deterioration of circumstances that unintentionally caused a cascading affect. As time passed, the part that seemed to eat away at me like a cancer is that following Anon's logic with searching for the truth, I could have actually helped prevent some major damage. In the end, not only did I find myself "making amends" but actually searching for the best way as to help set things right again. This took several years, but the peace of mind and soul that I finally been graced with has help me to feel better about myself, my actions by inaction, and for falling prey to the human nature of assumption, which is the mother of all cosmic calamities. I should have remembered a similar lesson like this from high school, circa '74. Perhaps the mind is the first to go. But alas, the overall good feeling one achieves from having helped to set things right again made the time it took to do such worthwhile. From a spiritual point of view, does this erase what I have done? No. But alas, maybe it will bring a bit of leniency when it goes before the Heavenly Jury.
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