a person is a person, is a person...

peter and i have been taking evening walks the past couple nights. we have had good, interesting discussions about a number of subjects.

namely, about people in general, and the failings of our education system - especially in the realm of specific professions.

anyway, these discussions led, inevitably, to the realization that things are never as cut and dry as they seem. we discussed stereotypes - not specific stereotypes, but the idea of them. stereotypes have frustrated me for a very long time. i think this is true of most people. [to generalize on this topic is just ironic, no?]

in any case our discussion led us to articulate the dichotomy associated with stereotypes. stereotypes are stereotypes because they are generally true. however, far too often the people-group known as the human race judges people exclusively based on stereotypes instead of reaching beyond them and getting to know individuals on an individual level.

yes, we will all make snap judgments of people. this is simply true. right or wrong, it happens, and it will continue to happen because we are wired that way. we fail on the account of stopping there though.

we make a judgment, put someone into a box, and we put the nail in the coffin. every once in a while someone breaks out of his/her box, but we take them as the exception, not the rule.

and yet, somehow, our own frustrations abound when someone else treats us in the same way...

the bottom line is this: we need to prevent our snap judgment of a person to become our opinion of said person without the decency to get to know him/her on an individual level. and until we do this, we cannot expect anyone else to grant us the same decency.

just as sympathy and empathy are two different things, we cannot truly know something unless we have actually known it. we cannot truly know someone unless we take the time to know him/her.

let us stop pretending that any one of us fully understands this world in which we live. some of us have wider horizons than others, but we are all limited in our own scope.

let us each recognize that people are people, and in the name of humanity, and the God who created us, that each person has value.

you may not believe the same things i do, but i believe that each person has value because we were created in the image of God. we were each created with a purpose by someone who is outside of our complete understanding by virtue of the fact that he is God. to assume that we could understand God completely would mean that he is no longer God. for if God is as big and powerful and amazing as he is, of course his creation cannot fully understand him.

i digress.

i have gotten a bit carried away this morning.

how are you?
how was your weekend?
was it lovely?
did you enjoy this oppressive weather?
or is it a little less oppressive where you are?
whatever you did,
i hope your days have been delightful.

happy monday, loves!