Wednesday; June 15

One of the most often asked questions these days is why people are so violent? While we tend to focus a lot of attention interrupting harmful actions, what would happen if we were able to intervene earlier? Sure, there is value in discussing the control of dangerous weapons, but we certainly need to make sure we also search for ways to derail the feelings that lead to the actions?
I am sure that there are millions of reasons people act out in violence, but one that probably ranks high on the list is a feeling of being disrespected. Whether as an individual or as part of a larger culture, one of the reasons some people react aggressively is because they don’t feel like others care about them or their feelings. Whether it is a feeling of being bullied, oppressed or marginalized; there are people who act out because they don’t feel like they are getting the respect they deserve. In their own rationale, they figure that in some way acts of violence level the playing field.

Please don’t misunderstand me – I am not defending their opinion or justifying their actions – but what I am doing is wondering if we would have less acts of violence if we showed more respect to people? Again, the point isn’t to overlook bad choices or illegal actions, but if we made it a point to value each other has human beings rather than labeling others in one way or another, maybe we could curb the violence.

Let’s do our best to treat everyone with respect. Who knows, the smile and kind word we share today just might be the thing that defuses an act of violence tomorrow!

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more