March 3, 2021
1 Thought
Every human being starts by interpreting the world through their own experiences.
It's when we start to meet people who have grown up with different experiences that our eyes start to open to the untamed, expansive space of the beauty that God has made in the world.
However, every human being also gets to the point where we think we've finally understood all there is to understand.
We see enough patterns and have met enough people to where we think we've pinpointed how people think and why they do the things they do. From this, we stop being curious because at some level, we think we already know. What we don't realize though, is that this false sense of certainty also leads to a lack of compassion.
Curiosity implies there's more mystery to embrace in a story.
We're thrilled by the joy of uncovering something new
We're thankful for the wonder of seeing what we didn't expect
Curiosity about a fellow human being leaves us with compassion for their unique story. (Share this on Twitter)
Too often, we hear one thing someone says or see one thing they post online and we automatically start putting labels, thinking, "They must be this kind of person or belong to this group of people who think similarly." All of it is dehumanizing and treats humanity as labels on a list or words on a screen.
Instead, learn again to be fascinated with people and to be curious about the masterpiece of a story that God is writing in their lives.
Here are two ways to be curious in a way that lends to compassion:
Renounce your assumptions of certainty: This is a part of personal humility. You don't know everything there is to know about a person, so don't assume that you do. Resist the urge to label someone and instead, ask them open questions about their lives and their beliefs and simply listen.
Refuse the temptation of politeness: This is a part of security in identity. Loving people doesn't happen when you ignore who they are–it happens when you engage their personhood. We are taught that love means we skirt around beliefs and topics we disagree with. To do so is to dismiss part of who the other person is. Instead, engage with that. Don't condemn or accuse, but don't run away and avoid.
1 Resource
Rebecca McLaughlin on respect for people:
"It's often said that you should respect other people's beliefs. But that's wrong: what's vital is that you respect other people. Indeed, when examined more closely, attempting to persuade others to change their beliefs is a sign of respect. You are treating them as thinking agents with the ability to decide what they believe, not just products of their cultural environment...We are all more governed by our feelings than by our rationality. But disagreement is not evidence of disrespect. Indeed, I debate hardest with the people I respect the most, because I take their ideas seriously. But our society seems to be losing the art of debate within friendships, and we instead surround ourselves with people who think like us."
Source: Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion
1 Question
What's a part of your story you wish more people would ask about? How would you feel if they did?
How can you start doing the same for others?