Tuesday; March 16

One of the challenges I face trying to be a good person is coming to grips with the struggles other people have had. While I am mindful of the challenges some people face today, it is easy to get carried away with historic issues of how people have been mistreated. As I think back on the last few centuries we have seen Jews annihilated in Germany, African slaves brought to Europe and the Americas, Native Americans captured and killed as well as regional minorities tortured and killed at the hands of rulers in power. This is not an American-thing, this is a people thing! Now, this brings us back to the challenge – I didn’t participate in these atrocities nor do I don’t condone what has happened, so what can I do other than feel bad about them?

As I thought about what I can do to come to grips with these tragedies two things came to find. First, I can treat people with love and respect. No, I cannot make others “play nice”, but I can control my approach to dealing with others, especially those who have been traditionally mistreated. When I cultivate a respect for all mankind, I will be the type of person who will stand up what is right and stand beside those who need help. Secondly, I can vow to be better than my ancestors. No, I cannot go back and change what my grandparents or great-grandparents did or the way they thought, but I can learn from the mistakes they made and lessons we have learned from them.

We have two options: we can point fingers and condemn one another or we can join hands in support of each other. Throughout history we have seen that finger-pointing doesn’t accomplish nearly as much good as a unity can heal a lot of hurts.

Think About It!

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