This is a hard one for me lately. In all honesty, I have to say some are not who I believed them to be the first time.
When I think of all the people I know, and think about or try to think about the first time I ever met them, what I knew and what I know often are two very different things. So while I love this quote, the world we live in today, or my world it is no longer truth. I have view or visibility of many that I have known since kindergarten or before. I have amazing, fond memories of them all. In the last few years, I have seen or read certain commentary from some that break my heart. That send me running with tears in my eyes vowing to never read Facebook again, never go to Twitter or Instagram again because it’s so disheartening.
We are broken. We are overwhelmed with information most of which is agenda to gather us up and pit us against each other. Some days makes me wish Reagan or Bush were back in office. It feels as if our very own personal needs are taking over any consideration of anyone outside our individual personal beleif. While yelling don’t tread on me, we are treading on others. We are not on a one way street.
How is it that some of us grew up in the same class rooms listening to the same teachers. Sat in the same pews, listening to the same minister and now are so far apart in terms of what I remember being thought about the bible and a man named Jesus. What I thought was character. What I thought was morality. What I thought was ethical. It’s now a harsh and judgmental view from what I remember being taught.
I heard today that another one of the youth group leaders from the church I grew up in passed away. Rest in Peace Warren Kennedy. These were caring, compassionate and engaged individuals who were present in every way. Leaders who I still hold dear today when I think about how I think about others and how I speak of others. Kind, gentle souls who gave to us time they didn’t have to. Time they could have spent at home.
Yet today, it feels some have forgotten the gentle kind nature of extending a thought or an arm to another. The care in listening to those around you to cast no stone or a disparaging word. Our anger has taken over and we are projecting on others our unfounded fears of what tomorrow might bring.