“Everyone is rational.”
I borrowed this crazy-sounding statement from Seth Godin. It sounds crazy, of course, because we meet “irrational” people all the time.
Seth’s point is that we all make choices based on how we see the world. To understand someone’s decisions, one must understand their experience, their goals, and their inputs. The hard work of listening and empathy is the only way to make sense of what appears to be – from a different perspective – nonsense.
It’s easy to shake my head and dismiss those whose experience is so different from my own. There’s lots of company on the path of “I just don’t get it.”
Common ground, love your neighbor, is found on the tougher path of “tell me more and help me understand.”
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On the flip side – there’s a pivotal verse in the book of Judges.
In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
The idea is repeated a few times in scripture…as a warning. The implication, I think, is that we were designed with the need for an external compass. We tend to wander off course when we become individualistic and self-centered.
It’s awfully easy to incorrectly extrapolate that idea, to decide that my compass ought to be someone else’s compass. And then to take the next step and dismiss them as wrong and irrational when their experience leads them to make a different choice.
But Jesus made it pretty clear – judging others isn’t my job. I’m supposed to follow Him. Love my neighbor, no strings attached.
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The FREEDOM TOUR tries to love others with no strings attached, while being clear about the compass that guides us. We try to sacrifice our personal rights and interests.
It’s hard, we do it imperfectly, but we’ll keep trying.
Want to join us? The pandemic disrupted global supply chains, so we have to order jerseys by April 22. Please click here.