Judgement
“Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.” (Matthew 7:3–5)
We as people are too apt to judge. Too quick to make judgements and have reservations about people and ideas of whom and which we know nothing about. We sneer and frown upon those who do not conform to our understanding of societal standards.
Yet, what truly constitutes the status quo? Apart from natural law and morality, nothing stays constant. Everything else changes with interpretation from the people who compose the society. You could find yourself on the outside of society, opposite of the status quo if conditions change.
Hence, we must make greater efforts at understanding. We must learn more about the customs and peoples of the world. They will compose our country in the future.
Even still, there will be judgement amongst ourselves. To exhort the people to be accepting will not be enough. If we truly cannot wrap our minds around different ideas, different peoples, we must keep that in private. It should never manifest itself in public. That is not the place for such thinking.
America is filled with diversity and ideas, new and old, strange and familiar. We have only become stronger from it. Yet a rot spreads from the inside, threatening to snuff out our brave spirit. We must turn back the rot for a better future.
This article was inspired by this poem.
