What Really Matters

Before I address today’s topic, sincere and heartfelt thanks for the overwhelming show of support for these columns.

Your calls, letters and personal comments to me and the paper in the last week were humbling, appreciated and, for the moment, have secured this column’s space in the Sidney Sun-Telegraph.

I also thank those who wrote or called wanting this column’s cancelation and had the courage to sign or give your name. The Bible tells us the correct way to address conflict is to take a grievance to the person you believe to be in the wrong and attempt resolution personally. I’m grateful to those who try to make me a better person. That’s how I learn. But anonymous sniping and demand to cancel someone is hurtful, immoral and impolite.

There is only one way we get out of the mess our nation is in without bloodshed, and that’s to stop looking at each other as members of a group, political party, religion, race or other collective assignment and instead regard one another as individual’s created by God is His image.

We must speak with each other, express our views, agree or disagree and move on. With open communication I suspect we’ll learn there is much we agree on and share in common. Let’s look at some examples of things I think we can all agree on.

Murder is wrong. It is wrong to take something that isn’t ours from someone else. Lying is bad. Having sex with another person’s spouse, or them with ours, is also bad. It is good to be nice to people. Your private life is your private life, and mine is mine. How are we doing so far?

Most people just want to live their lives as best they can in peace and be left alone to pursue their dreams and desires.

As long as those don’t harm us, who cares? Strife ensues when others insist we do things their way, adopt or forcibly celebrate their positions, and try to compel us to conform. But we often get so upset about things that, in the end, have little direct impact on us. Why should you be upset about what I believe on the issues of the day? Or I you?

None of us knows when our journey in this life will end. The Bible tells us all we have is today, and tomorrow will have a new set of challenges. When you get down to it, what I think about politics, taxes, social programs, education, gun control, abortion, sexuality and such is not likely to affect you at all today. Nor your views me.

So I respectfully suggest we all just take a breath before sending that tweet, writing that letter, making that call or hitting send on that Facebook post if the intent in doing so is to get back at someone, tear them down, hurt them or silence their voice.

Instead, let’s build each other up. Look for the positive in people. Sincerely celebrate diversity, and try to love each other as we want to be loved.