Thursday, September 26, 2024
Over my 68-plus years of living, I have learned that people’s perceptions about life are largely based on their own personal experiences. It is from those experiences their opinions and judgements are formed. Rare indeed is it to find a person who, prior to forming an opinion, can look beyond their own life and consider the knowledge or experience others might have.
It is somewhat humorous to picture a situation where someone who has never lived outside of a New York City zip code has a strong opinion on farm or ranch policies in Texas, especially when they would not know the difference between a steer and a bull! It is just as true when someone from a small town in West Texas begins to express strong opinions about life in interurban Detroit and the struggles experienced by those who live there. I have serious doubt that someone from Wellington, Texas has any real idea of what it is like to live in the inner city of a large metropolitan area, any more than the New York City dweller knows about steers and heifers. Without knowledge, it is impossible to make informed decisions.
Does this mean we need to forego creating an opinion about things beyond our immediate world? Of course not, but it should impose upon us a recognition to stop, gather information, and consider what experiences and knowledge someone else might share before we become so opinionated and headstrong. People generally do not fail to address pressing problems because of indifference but rather, they find themselves in circumstances beyond their control where they do not possess the resources to effectively meet the situation.
Some years ago, during Hurricane Katrina, I was working with a man who had lived his whole life in Highland Park. He had grown up there, attended school there, went to college at Southern Methodist University and stayed in Highland Park to work and live his life. Reports started coming out of New Orleans that the city was being evacuated due to Katrina’s devasting effects and the problems associated with moving a large contingent of people, especially people from economically challenged areas.
My friend was very puzzled. This was a kind and caring man, a Christian man, but he looked at me square in the eye with his face full of bewilderment and said, “why don’t those folks get in their cars and drive a couple a hundred miles to a hotel and stay there until this thing blows over?” I had to explain to my friend that many of the soon-to-be-disenfranchised did not have cars, nor did they have the resources to pay for a hotel or eat out for what could be weeks or even months.
My friend was so unaware because in “his world,” something like a history-making hurricane would not have been nearly as big an issue. He had options and solutions to many of the problems a hurricane might present, and he assumed others had the same options and choices he had. He formed a judgement without understanding the facts or the circumstances. He had never lived in the 2nd Ward in New Orleans, and he had no idea of what life there was like, or the daily obstacles residents had to overcome.
Wouldn’t it be nice to stop the rush to judgment and, instead of forming an immediate opinion about an issue, reflect and learn from others? Shutting our mouths and opening our ears to hear what others are saying and why they are saying it, might just help us to formulate a stance that is measured and purposeful rather than judgmental and flippant.
The world is full of problems, some we all share, and some that are specific to a location or a group of people. The one thing we all have which is universal, is the ability to be compassionate, understanding, and to ask questions and seek solutions instead of jumping to place blame.
Solve the problem, and the credit can be painted across a broad canvas.
Blaming and criticizing has never solved anything, it only makes the solution harder to come by.
Remember that when you cast your vote.
Thought for the day: “The superior man blames himself, the inferior man blames others.” — Coach Don Shula
Until next time … I will keep ridin’ the storm out!
