It's no secret that my politics are conservative. It's also no secret that my patience is strained when it comes to people who expect others to take care of them when they have no desire to take care of themselves, who believe the world owes them a living.
Part of this is a product of my upbringing. (I was raised by parents who were children of the Depression. They expected to work and to save and taught me to do the same.) Part of this is my lack of compassion. And that is my failing.
Compassion for others whose viewpoint doesn't match my own doesn't come easily to me. I tend to think I'm right and dismiss the feelings and attitudes of others.
Can I do both? Can I hold on to my beliefs and still have understanding for those whose beliefs differ from my own? I don't know. I'm still working on it. As in so many areas of my life, I'm still trying to get it right.
I don't have any great take-aways with this post. I struggle every day to find that balance that allows me to be true to myself and to allow others to do the same. And then I think of the Savior, the Exemplar in all things. His love is infinite, extended to everyone, even to me, imperfect and flawed as I am.
In writing, we use the acronym WIP for work-in-progress. This is an apt description for me, a work-in-progress.
This I know for sure: if I am to find compassion for others, I must look to the Savior.
He is our perfect example of this. "Father, forgive them," comes to mind. We just don't and can't know where people are really coming from most of the time.
ReplyDelete