In all honesty, this essay, although somewhat fruitful, seemed tedious, long, and was hard to understand. Nonetheless, I did get something out of it.
Firstly, to challenge belief. Socially I see people judge all the time, especially in this BYU perfectionist/molded environment. Most everyone is trying to be the “perfect” Mormon, which is awesome and enlightening, but can be very narrow, even judgmental. I being very guilty of this myself can be prone to judge people by my set of standards, when in reality, this only leaves greater room for error as you judge by your experience, knowledge, belief, etc. instead of the persons. Just today I went to an audition for BYU’s got talent. I myself subjected a few of the performances than a less than extraordinary opinion, when my own bias probably shone through on others. Likewise, some of the judgments around me seemed harsh and unfitting. Relevant to belief, I’ve learned to not judge. Others see constraints differently than what you see. What’s good to you is mediocre to another, and vice versa. Instead of putting down, we need to do as Christ taught, putting ourselves in the shoes of our neighbor, refusing to judge, only uplifting and looking for the good.
Secondly, there is a background to our beliefs. We all entertain different thoughts. We all have different experiences. We believe the things we do, or judge the way we do, largely because of our upbringing. Can we really reject or deny another’s beliefs or ideas, rejecting their opinion because we grew up differently? We need to be able to recognize the differences surrounding us, and choose to not judge, lest we sin and bring condemnation upon ourselves. Who’s to say we are right, other than ourselves? If we don’t respect those around us, we can never expect those around us to respect us. I find my happiness derides mainly by being involved with, talking to, listening to, interacting with those around me. Accepting their differences and loving them for it. I am very much imperfect in this sense, but am looking to improve. Most of these thoughts have stemmed from my experience at BYU’s got talent. I apologize if they seem monotonous. I learned something though.
I agree that this article can be especially applicable to ye olde BYU environment. Actually, it should be applied, mandatory, now. A new branch on the Honor Code. "Students will not be judgmental jerks to those around them." It's always super frustrating how often I see students at BYU get on their high horse and be really mean to other people. Religiously, we all believe the same thing, and I think that should be enough to form at least tiny bonds.
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