Looking at What’s Human…
It’s been a long time since I learned not to judge people for their beliefs, identities, or opinions … You can never know in what family, culture, or hardship that person grew up.
Look into people’s hearts. Is there conscience there? Is there courage? Is there joy of simply being alive? Is there love?
Look into people’s minds. Is s/he a person reacting on the basis of instinct? Is their mind adept enough to figure out what will happen based on how they act? Do they use this for their own self-interest, or for harmony? Or are they capable of looking deep enough into underlying dynamics to comprehend what’s going on? Even if they do not have knowledge, are they capable of doing so intuitively or with common sense?
Look into how people labor. Are they lazy? Do they abuse other people’s labor? Do they give of themselves freely?
If you are going to explore what’s human, explore these. Look at their humanity, not their political or religious opinion. All the things that happen that we do not want, arise because that’s not where we look, and that’s not how we are. What’s about to happen, will because we are not raising our children in this way …
I forgive people who have a clean conscience and good intentions. I do not look at which party they vote for. Even if the consequences harm me. But, I don’t forgive the crafty cunning types, those that insist on error, and those that are militants to charlatans.
It will take a long time for this country to recover again. With mind, labor, and heart. Or there will be charlatans with other names that emerge. With ignorance, cunning, ego, and laziness.
Those of us that have awareness, have the responsibility not to be like them. This has to be what sets us apart. Otherwise, blood for blood, violence for violence … gets us nowhere.
Love, Tamer.
September 8, 2015