Precious

I know I said this before, but I cannot say it enough times how valuable and precious human life is. A thing of beauty, a treasured person, what can I say to such a one without devaluing myself? How must I respond, 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 identify such a person? It probably would not be difficult at all. How about a person who God esteems?outward appearance that shed light on that person’s value?

Once, as my family and I walked the cat-walk in Glenwood New Mexico, I spotted a bright 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 guess we forget because the same analogy can be attributed to humans. If we are not always in the news, our worth is not visible 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 worth 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 remain as far as possible from another? Was Mozart not a social misfit, as was Einstein?

I know that I am guilty of choosing to initiate or discord bonds based on my rating of a person. I think most of us are guilty of this. I also know with everything there are a few extremists. The vast 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 accountable every time we ridicule another because of their issues. It is more difficult to extend a hand, but much more generous. It is equally difficult to believe a person as having more importance than our self. It is 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, this has been a period of growth for me. I am learning and understanding a lot more about the human condition through my children. They also are still learning and growing and have not yet reached their full potential; nonetheless, they are all dear to me.