Precious

A thing of beauty, a valuable person, what can I say to
such a one without devaluing myself? How must I react,
behave when I am in her presence? Is that not what you
would say to yourself if you recognized that you were
in the presence of one who society highly esteems? The
real question is, would you know how to recognize such
a person? It probably would not be difficult at all.
How about a person who God esteems? Would it be outward
appearance that would shed light on that person’s value?


Once as my family and I walked the cat-walk in Glenwood
New Mexico, I spotted a shiny object in the river. As I
bent down to pick it up, my ten year old said to me,"
Gold does not look like gold." If even a ten year old
boy knows this, why is it that as adults we forget? I
say we forget because the same analogy can be
attributed to humans. If we are not constantly in the
news, our worth is not obvious to the human eyes. Gold
in its natural state does not shine. If all we saw each
other as having potential or as a valuable asset to
society, would we not behave differently towards each
other?


What is the measure that we use to determine the value
of each other? Is it based on possessions, intelligence,
race or gender? Is one person more valuable than the
other because they are more similar to me than another?
What makes me more inclined to smile at one person and
not another? Why do I think it is safer to befriend one
stranger while I stay as far as possible from another?
Was Mozart not a social misfit, as was Einstein?


I know that I am guilty of choosing to form or discord
bonds based on my rating of a person. I think most of
us are guilty of this. I also know as with everything
there are a few extremists. The large majority is not
guilty of deliberately hurting others because of
labeling them as being less than us. We are all however
(myself included) guilty of not treating each other with
the kind of respect the other deserves.  We do this every
time we disrespect another or think of them as being
beneath us. We are culpable every time we ridicule another
because of their issues. It is a lot harder but a lot more
noble to extend a hand or even to consider a person as
having more worth than our self.  A lot easier to shun a
homeless person than a person who owns his own home.

I have said before in a previous blog that being a parent
has been a struggle for me. On the flip side I am learning
and understanding a lot more about the human condition
through my children.