I have a headache. I should probably not write when I have a headache but I have been putting this off for days now and maybe the headache will help sharpen my thinking as I write.
Why do I write a blog? Hmm, I started out thinking it was a good way to connect with people and then it grew into something a bit more than that. I found people were encouraged by what I said. Or they thought differently about things because of what I wrote. That inspired me to write more. Surely we can dialogue with each other more. It is not an ego thing (contrary to what some may think of 'bloggers'). It is actually the opposite.
When we share our thoughts in today's Western world I believe we open ourselves up to criticism or possibly ridicule. Not always, but definitely more than before. We have access to more information now than ever before. With that, I believe comes responsibility. We have the responsibility to first find out the whole story before responding. When we take time to find out the whole story, or the 'other' opinion, we may learn a lot.
There may be things going on in the world I do not agree with. There are certainly things going on in the world I hate (war, poverty, abuse - just to name a few). Yet if I simply pass judgment and dismiss them I can not find out ways to put an end to those things. I can not stop war and bloodshed in the middle east. Yet I can come alongside refugees here in my own city and help them adjust to being in a new country. I can not end poverty yet I can work with those around me to help find solutions based on an understanding of how people end up in the cycle of poverty. I can not simply stop abuse. But I can report it when I see it. I can come alongside those who have been abused to help bring them healing.
Some days I am overwhelmed with all the information available. Then, I leave my home. I am equally overwhelmed some days when I walk through my neighbourhood. So many issues. I am only one person. And maybe that is the point. I am one person who can not do the work alone. No one person can. We are meant to work together to find solutions. That will inevitably mean working with those we do not agree with fully. That should not stop us however, Instead of focusing on what we disagree about, why not focus on what we agree on?
If we are too quick to judge and too quick to dismiss, we are quick to miss out on the blessing of helping others...and maybe in turn being helped.
Why do I write a blog? Hmm, I started out thinking it was a good way to connect with people and then it grew into something a bit more than that. I found people were encouraged by what I said. Or they thought differently about things because of what I wrote. That inspired me to write more. Surely we can dialogue with each other more. It is not an ego thing (contrary to what some may think of 'bloggers'). It is actually the opposite.
When we share our thoughts in today's Western world I believe we open ourselves up to criticism or possibly ridicule. Not always, but definitely more than before. We have access to more information now than ever before. With that, I believe comes responsibility. We have the responsibility to first find out the whole story before responding. When we take time to find out the whole story, or the 'other' opinion, we may learn a lot.
There may be things going on in the world I do not agree with. There are certainly things going on in the world I hate (war, poverty, abuse - just to name a few). Yet if I simply pass judgment and dismiss them I can not find out ways to put an end to those things. I can not stop war and bloodshed in the middle east. Yet I can come alongside refugees here in my own city and help them adjust to being in a new country. I can not end poverty yet I can work with those around me to help find solutions based on an understanding of how people end up in the cycle of poverty. I can not simply stop abuse. But I can report it when I see it. I can come alongside those who have been abused to help bring them healing.
Some days I am overwhelmed with all the information available. Then, I leave my home. I am equally overwhelmed some days when I walk through my neighbourhood. So many issues. I am only one person. And maybe that is the point. I am one person who can not do the work alone. No one person can. We are meant to work together to find solutions. That will inevitably mean working with those we do not agree with fully. That should not stop us however, Instead of focusing on what we disagree about, why not focus on what we agree on?
If we are too quick to judge and too quick to dismiss, we are quick to miss out on the blessing of helping others...and maybe in turn being helped.
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