Aug 21st, 2020: The Danger of Baseless Opinions
Have you ever had vegan ice cream? Well, I had the first one last summer
with a niece who came to Calgary to work from Washington DC area. She
is a vegan, so I didn't have much choice. We waited in line for about 15
minutes to get one. It was not bad as I had imagined. Sometimes we form
our opinions about things, people and life events without any personal experience.
Racism is one of
them. People can form opinions about other people without having much
direct personal interaction. When that happens, much of what we say or
do is based on fear. Fear can exist without any real personal
experience. It is in our minds with all of its imagination. We base our
thoughts and feelings on what other people say or some specific images
that we have seen.
Judgment is another one. I have met people who
seem to have some definite ideas about people of faith. Some would say
that we are naive, narrow-minded, and backward. However, these folks
tend to have a hard time to engage in deep conversation about the nature
of humanity and suffering. What would we call people who can't look
beyond themselves, their own thesis about the beginning of life, and
their preoccupation with the fear of death?
Anger is the one
that has driven our society and culture recently. Using it as a way to
seek justice is a dangerous exercise. We can see the outcomes of that
during the recent protests in different cities. Innocent people and
their property are damaged. The call for Cancel Culture and Cancel
History is one that leads us to further darkness and destruction. We
cannot have a meaningful conversation about the future if we don't know
where we are presently, and where we came from in terms of our roots. If
life only exists in the here and now, then the present moment defines
life itself. That is the basis for a fragmented one.
(Psalm 77: 11-15)
"I shall remember the deeds of the Lord;
Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds.
Your way, O God, is holy;
What god is great like our God?"
(Job 8: 8)
"Please inquire of past generations,
And consider the things searched out by their fathers."
