As Mormon’s we engage belief in
a way that says “I respect your opinion respectfully, but with all due respect,
would expect the same respect as I present what I believe.” That’s not a direct
quote (though likely a tongue twister); it’s just me trying to talk like Dean
Duncan. But I do think it sums up what we (as Mormons) are taught and so it is theoretically what we do. I think the
tendency in reality is more like “that’s great and all, and I’m going to make
sure to let you know that I “respect” your belief, but now let me sit you down
and tell you how it really is, since you don’t seem to know.”
This is erroneous and asinine,
of course. This is not respect. I think true respect is being able to
understand why I person thinks a certain way, and not trying to convince them
of your view. If someone shares a view or belief of theirs, and you really
respect it, then you will not only listen, but try to sympathize and understand
why they see and feel this way. You will try to read deeper than just what
words they use, but understand the reasons behind them that they are not talking
about. You won’t be eager to talk about what you believe, but be eager to ask
them more questions and understand. Respect is more than just not cutting
someone off midsentence.
I think a movie that demonstrates this is “Fearless”. This
movie talks about different forms of wushu, a form of martial arts, and how no
branch of wushu is better than the others. It talks about how wushu isn’t
really about winning or losing, and that petty quarrels between competing practitioners
are indeed petty and self-defeating, because wushu isn’t about being right and
defeating others, it’s about mutual understanding and inner peace. This whole
movie can be seen as a metaphor for belief and the idea that we need to unite
in understanding and accept that we all have different views so that we can
overcome other obstacles of greater significance together.
I liked what you said about how true respect is being able to understand why someone thinks the way they do. If you don't ever take the time to understand someone's perspective, how can you even begin to make an impact on them? If you walk around thinking you are the best and you know the truth you will never be able to touch people's hearts and bring them the light of the gospel. From Christ's example, we know it's all about love and compassion. Listening to and understanding others is the first step in spreading the message of the gospel.
ReplyDeleteI agree. We need to listen and understand people, especially when we disagree with what they say. Sometimes a person's view is the opposite of our own but ignoring them, or writing them off isn't the right thing to do. It's easy and common to put people into boxes instead of listening to their questions and answering them.
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