BY LOUISE ELPERS
GUEST COMMENTARY
It is said that if you knock on an 8,000-year-old tree you can hear it resonate.
Just asking – do you ever wonder how humankind will ‘resonate’ in another 8,000 years considering the state of affairs today? Will we even exist?
As human beings, many seem to have become indifferent to this world we share.
Just asking – what has happened to the ‘Golden Rule’ that reminds us to treat others as we want to be treated? We all have stories of how we have been wronged. The verses may be different, but the song is the same. Sometimes it is necessary to look a little deeper to see the spirit of another person; to consider what part we play in the difficulties around us.
Just asking – isn’t it easy to jump to conclusions rather than give the benefit of the doubt? For all that is going on around the country, it makes me ask, is this discord going on in my heart, in my home, in my relationships at work and elsewhere? No one would give up on the next day because of the frustrations of the day before.
Just asking – do we give up too easily and too quickly on friends, jobs or marriage when things don’t go our way? The world is global now, not just limited to local boundaries. It is hard, if not impossible, to put oneself in another person’s shoes or comprehend situations beyond one’s experiences.
Just asking – have you ever tried to put yourself in a minority situation, like showing a note at a restaurant that says you can’t speak and you’re making your order on a piece of paper – just to see how you might be treated?
While traveling, have you ever tried to figure out which milk is fat-free when the labels are in another language? The reality of literacy and intelligence is dependent upon understanding, not culture or background.
Just asking – can you imagine being kind, respectful, patient and loving, yet others just ignore you because you are different?
Just asking – why does any issue have to turn into a fight? Even the flattest pancake has two sides, as does every issue. Pentecost gave us the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. Can’t we look to wisdom, understanding, kindness and peace – to name just a few of the tools we have to overcome our difficulties?
Just asking.