Human Understanding

Me. You. Them. Us.
Against. 
           Everyone. 
                            Else.

Prejudice boundary lines are dividing people in implosive ways this week.

Different colored skin? Target.
Different religious beliefs? Target
Different moral code? Target
Different occupation? Target

Wait, what?

Now--more than I've seen in my lifetime--police officers are murdered because they wear a badge. Those who sacrifice safety to protect ours--and get little compensation or accolades for it--are now the ones people want to kill? Tell me where is the sense in that?
For the sake of argument, perhaps a cop makes a mistake in another state--gets a little too trigger happy (as many are saying). Perhaps disciplinary action should take place. But, why oh why, should people then think that all cops everywhere are evil? What would happen to our world without officers?  Talk about the epitome of illogical reasoning and ignorant prejudice.

If a teacher thrashes a student for misbehaving and steps over the acceptable code of conduct line, do we then declare all teachers abusive and negligent? Of course not. To do so would be absurd.

If a service-repair man comes to fix an issue with your appliance and doesn't reconnect tubes properly, and water leaks all over your new hardwood floors (yes, this actually happened to my friend), do you then declare all repair people dishonest and lazy and organize a party to have them all tied up and hung? Your friends would think you'd jumped off the deep end, wouldn't they?

If a Christian twists Scripture and uses it to manipulate and slander and shows nothing of God's grace and loving truth to people, should we denounce all Christians as bigoted and judgmental liars?  Hmm...

What's going on in our country results from a world thrown into chaos by situational ethics.
When we determine what the "good" and the "evil" is and it's subjective to our own moral code, not only does common sense depart us, but our God-established ability to understanding right and wrong also vanishes.

Murder is murder, whether your skin is white, black, or covered with a badge.
Hating another human being grows from selfish prejudice: I am better than you, my ways are better than yours, you are not acceptable, therefore--and here comes the scary conclusion--you should be discarded. 

But, if we try to understand just a little, if we show some compassion, and attempt to empathize with another person, we have stepped back closer into what it means to love...to be human, designed in God's image.





So, I'd encourage those grieving and those angered to rise up and say "enough!" Enough with discarding that which we don't understand. Enough with killing that which we don't like. Enough with saying, "My way or you all die!"

Humility brings us to a place of community and right desires.
Charity allows us to forgive and move to a place of wholeness and wisdom.
And God's standards free us from creating faulty ones that corrupt and crumble.