Everywhere we turn, it seems our society is breaking down. Some blame guns, some blame drones, and some blame religion. Plenty of people are crying out on social media, TV, and radio, calling for everyone to come together. Several professional athletes in the United States have called for change.
The problem is, I haven’t heard anyone say exactly what kind of change they want. Honestly, I don’t watch many “news” programs nor do I read many articles about current events. So, I may have missed someone else out there proposing the two solutions I am about to share with you. If someone else has shared these two action items, then hopefully, I am merely expounding on their idea.
These two action items will not cost our society a dime, nickel, or penny. They are also at the core of what it means to be human. But somewhere, along our path, we have lost sight of these two critical steps. There are many, many reasons why we have lost sight of what it really means to be human, what makes us more than just another creature on this planet. Those reasons don not matter now. The only thing that matters now is our actions going forward.
And like any action, these two actions are a choice we can make in every situation of every day. If you are a Christian, these two actions are also a big part of reaching eternal life with our Creator. So, what exactly am I talking about?
Love and Respect.
Yes, it’s that simple. And this simplicity is exactly why no one will talk about these two activities. We have the opportunity every day to choose these actions. Cut off in traffic? Do you respond with love and respect or do you tailgate that person, hoping for the chance to catch up to them so you can flip them off? What if that person is in a hurry to make it to their daughter’s dance recital or on the way to the hospital to try and spend an extra few minutes with a dying relative?
What if you receive poor service at a restaurant or at a store? Do you think your server or the person behind the counter is doing it on purpose, just to spite you? What if they haven’t been trained properly? What if the manager hasn’t been trained properly? Or, what if that person only got four hours of sleep because they work a second job to help pay for the medicine their son or daughter needs?
In every situation in our lives, we have the ability to choose to love and respect others. If you are Christian, Jesus has called you to these very actions. In fact, loving your neighbor is “the greatest of these.” But here is the real kicker: Our Father has called us to love our enemies, too!
Is the person who cut you off in traffic or gave you poor service really your enemy? Do they want to take your life or the lives of those you love? Do they want to destroy your life? To me, those are the only enemies of the world and, as a firm believer in the Pareto principle (80-20 rule), I tend to believe that only 20% of the people in the world are truly my enemies.
So what if the protesters and the police treated each other with love and respect? What if they saw each other as children of God instead of enemies? What if we realized that everyone—EVERYONE—is created in the image of God?
Now, some of you may be thinking, wait a minute, Mr. Shaven Raven, love and respect aren’t actions, they are feelings. I beg to differ. While we know what it is like to feel love and respect, if you don’t show how you feel through your actions, are you really “in love” or “showing respect?”
These two actions cost absolutely nothing. No one can make money off of them. Politicians won’t discuss these ideas because they aren’t grandiose and they don’t involve government programs (more money). In fact, part of the problem is that our politicians don’t practice these virtues, either. The 2016 presidential race is a great demonstration in how love and respect have been all but abandoned by our society.
Our next step? Start practicing love and respect in your immediate relationships. We don’t have to take on some gigantic project in our community to demonstrate our commitment to these virtues and actions. Of course, if you feel called to a big project of love, by all means, go for it! However, all that you really need to do is start at home and in your daily life. If someone makes a mistake or disrespects you in some way, take the time to treat them as you want to be treated.
As Andy Andrews says, the fulcrum of our society is parenting. Are your actions teaching your children how to love and respect? If you don’t have children, are you teaching your younger cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends how to act? You don’t have to lecture anyone; you merely have to mirror the actions you want to see in the world. Children are watching and mimicking everything we do…
I tend to believe that the simple answers are the best answers to most of life’s problems. There is absolutely nothing more simple than practicing love and respect in everything we do. Note that I did not say it was easy. If it were easy, our society wouldn’t be dealing with 80% of the problems we have today.
Simple does not equal easy. But if you want to improve our world, if you want make a difference, start showing more love and respect.