Director of Spiritual Care Jim Andrews
Have you ever read the Dr. Seuss story about the Sneetches? It chronicles the tale of a group of yellow creatures some of whom have green stars on their bellies and some of whom do not. The story unfolds as a slick salesperson named Sylvester McMonkey McBean begins to exploit the underlying insecurities and sense of estrangement which this simple difference seems to stimulate.
How prone we are to categorize one another! We have all kinds of ways to put each other in different boxes: tall/short, democrat/republican, believer/atheist, Christian/Muslim, male/female, rich/poor, Hispanic/Asian, etc. There seems to be an almost inescapable tendency to identify what is different about each other. Once these differences are recognized, they can become a barrier which prevents us from connecting with what is eminently more important: all that we share in common.
May our souls have the wisdom to see past the insecurities which arise out of our perceived differences, freeing us to develop a kaleidoscope of connections with a vast and wonderful array of our diverse humanity.
Have a great week, everyone!
Jim