This is kind of a bold thing to state, but my conclusion is that people are much too harsh on others around them. Even when they themselves are just the same. We tend to be really harsh on people who don't deserve it. Or similarly they are harsh on someone who doesn't do anything that they do not do as well. This is not unusual or uncommon but I find frustrating due in part that they see their own actions as perfectly sound and logical, viewing them from a different perspective. The perfect example is traffic. I can't tell you how many times someone has cut in front of me or done some other dangerously negligent maneuver by me during my commutes to school daily. The normal reaction is to look down on them is some manor and see them as an idiot. however truly I believe we all make dumb maneuvers from time to time. No one can say they are perfectly alert every time they hit the road, life tends to distract the best from time to time. Why do we jump to an in-congruent standard for them? This is a question with an answer that is hard to swallow. We tend to hold the world to a high standard to avoid the low standard in our own lives. While on the attack the defenses of the attacker are not truly tested. its why personal attacks during debates are so common, you don't have to face the flaws of your side just the flaws of something else.
We are a culture of deep insecurity. We all are so good at seeing the flaws and failings of things but cannot come the point to see our own out of the fear of it being there. We can't be wrong, its just too much to consider. I am not looking to fix the world just offer the perspective that wisdom would advocate. Lets slow down and look at ourselves as humans. We are imperfect. We all are lacking much. Now from that perspective of all of the imperfection how could you rationally continue to hold such a standard? Shouldn't this lend more forbearance to others? I find it is hard to say that an non-congruent standard is acceptable to anyone. however there are exceptions such as leaders. those who agree to conduct themselves to a higher standard are to be held to a higher standard. they are still human but are not to be as everyone else is, they are to be exceptional by definition (some positions more than others)
For everyone we need to be more thoughtful in our judgments and words.
Now, this is for those of us called to Christ's Church, we need to pay special attention to this issue. We need to check ourselves on how we approach this. We tend to make this mistake far too often. I seem to find that we Try to make the morality a justification to make all sorts of judgements and comparisons to the world at large. We cannot hold the world to the standards that we must hold ourselves. They have no use of our standards. We are not better than them. We are sinners saved by grace. We are sinners like they are. Just because we are of this fellowship of faith doesn't mean we are above the world. Just because we are no longer bound by sin doesn't mean we have done life better than they have. We have done nothing to attain our salvation and we need to act this way.
And when we deal with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we need to use the wisdom that the lord provides during sanctification. If a brother is in sin then approach him in righteous standing in the lord and rebuke him. Do as it commands in the letters of the early church. But make sure you do it for the right reason. To make the Church more glorifying to God. And we can't look down on those who have fallen for they are your brothers and sisters. We cannot entertain pride in our lives or actions. Pride is worse than Poison, it blinds and cripples your spiritual life. This comes with from someone who has learned the hard way.
In all I think this is just a reason to think before you speak. We should be more wise in our attitudes toward others. We cannot pretend to be intellectual if we are so irrational about other like this. Let us seek to improve this by slowing down and allowing a health amount of forbearance for our brothers and sisters. This is kinda what I have been thinking about lately and I am glad I have the time to write it down for once.
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