Who are the “others” in my life? I’ve been reading so much about those “others” lately. But who are they? The dictionary loosely defines “others” as any person not like you in appearance, spiritual faith, political beliefs, or position in life.
So in other words (pardon the pun), for the most part, the “others” in your life and mine, are everyone else in the world. They may be alien to us by language, looks, gender, sexual orientation, heritage, customs, beliefs, or politics. But for some odd reason, when we speak of “others”, it nearly always has a negative connotation, doesn’t it? For example, “I’m glad I’m not like or one of those “other” people!” Why is that? Does putting “others” down automatically elevate us to a higher position and thus justifies our statement? I don’t think so.
Perhaps it’s because most “others” are not like us in most categories. We hang out with people most like us in one or more category to reduce our perception of vulnerability, so we tend to alienate or separate ourselves from those “others” who are not like us, don’t we? I seldom hear or read about wanting to “be like” those “others”, which would take on a very positive image, wouldn’t it? What would the world be like if we all wanted to be better people, like those “other ” people we aspire to emulate?
I believe that aspiration is what the Bible tries to teach us…to be more like Jesus and treat “others” like He did. In other words, accept and support other people for who they are in their walk of life. If they’re heading in the wrong direction, help them find a better path by engaging and showing empathy, not discouragement, disdain, or outright rejection. Just remember, you could be one of those “others” being rejected or labeled unjustifiably – it hurts!!
My prayer today is that we all can put ourselves in that “other” person’s shoes, to reach out and connect, give of ourselves, encourage harmony, and offer acceptance to foster peace for everyone we have the privilege of sharing our life with this side of heaven.
Blessings,
Jerry
