“The greatest form of charity may be to withhold judgment.”—Sandra Rogers
One of my favorite songs is more timely today than when it was first sung in 1965. You’ve probably heard these first two lines from the lyrics by Hal David and the music by Burt Bachrach at least twenty times:
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
Its the only thing that there's just too little of
But the next two lines are just as powerful:
What the world needs now is love sweet love,
No, not just for some but for everyone,
It’s that love for everyone that we seem to be struggling with. That struggle takes place within families…within communities…within our nation…and throughout the world.
I heard the story recently of a three year old who pointed to an object on the television screen and said: “Mom, that’s a weird chicken.” Her mother responded: “That’s a peacock, not a chicken.”
Like the unknowing three year old, we too often look at others with an incomplete or inaccurate understanding. We see them as weird chickens when if we could see them through a curious and tolerant lens we might begin to appreciate the beauty of their peacock-like uniqueness and potential.
Walt Whitman said: Be curious, not judgmental. And, James E. Faust said: The older I get, the less judgmental I become.
Whether old or young, may we all become more tolerant, more forgiving and much less judgmental. Then we will be part of bringing that love sweet love into the world, not just for some but for everyone.
“The greatest gift you can give to others is the gift of unconditional love and acceptance” –Brian Tracy