You know, it seems to me that so many problems in today’s society could be solved by utilizing just one simple principle: Walk a mile in their shoes. More wars have been fought and blood shed in the name of religion than all other motivations combined. Why is that? It makes no sense to me.

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, didn’t pass his message of hope along on the tip of a sword. Nor did he use his charisma and intellect to verbally batter those who did not agree with him. He died, for Heaven’s sake, on a wooden cross, and while hanging on that cruel tree, he asked for forgiveness from the Father for those who put him there.

What I can’t abide – I mean what I really cannot stand – is when those proclaiming to be Christians use their beliefs to belittle others. If they would only take a moment to walk a mile in the shoes of those they are criticizing, I believe it would change their hearts.

What so many people lack, in my humble opinion, is empathy – the ability to feel that which another is feeling. Instead of bombing an abortion clinic, try working at a Save a Life organization; don’t complain about welfare, until you have worked at a soup kitchen and fed starving children; and don’t make combative comments about those different than you until you have a true understanding of how difficult their lot in life might be. Only the most damaged of us is incapable of empathy – the sociopath, the narcissist, the psychopath; chances are, you are none of these things, so don’t be a part of the problem when you can be a part of the solution.

The true movers and shakers of “religion:” Buddha, Mohammed and Jesus Christ, all worked from a platform of acceptance and love. Yet, it is that very acceptance that so many of us completely forget about – so busy are we with our pushing of agendas and rules. If we want a rule to live by, why not try the Golden one? And if we want to bash or punish someone – first, walk a mile in their shoes.
Lisa C. Temple