Thursday, January 29, 2009

What I Believe... About People

  • I believe that at their very core, people are bad. The precedent for this belief comes from the Bible, but there is very little in my experience or observation that would dispute this belief. If left to their own devices, people would devolve into deeper and deeper levels of selfishness, degradation, immorality, evil and sin. Ultimately, individuals would rise up against one another and threaten the very existence of humanity.
  • I believe that people have unlimited potential. It is from people that have received Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. People have given us the cure for polio. I believe that in the future there will be cures for cancer, for HIV/AIDS. I think that there will be new, greater, more beautiful art and literature. There is no end to what is possible for people.
  • I believe that, as bad as people might be, they can be fixed or redeemed. If this were not so, there would be no hope for humanity. I could not be positive about human potential if I did not believe that we could all be fixed. Not everyone will be fixed. There will always be those of us who prefer to live to and for ourselves. However, we can know that there is hope.
  • I believe that all people deserve a chance. Jesus taught that would should be willing to forgive people an infinite number of times. We must always be optimistic about how people behave and their potential to change. If I believe that they can change, I must give them time, space and understanding to allow that change.
  • I believe that all people should care for and love all other people. It is not easy (none of these beliefs is) but we should be understanding, patient and caring for others. Encourage others to move toward the change that is possible.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

very interesting. i was just thinking some of the same things very recently... mostly about myself. no matter how "good" someone tells me i am, i know that there are "bad parts" of me. i believe that the good in me is only from Jesus Christ...