Karla’s Korner: Opens Minds…Open Hearts

Opens Minds…Open Hearts

Author Steve Aitchison once wrote “Open minded people do not impose their beliefs on others. They accept that we all have a different perspective on life and do their own thing in peace without judgement.” Having read this particular quote several times this week as it circulated on social media in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that ruled that same-sex couples can marry nationwide I pondered what it is that makes people so divided on the subject and what is it that triggers such hate about this particular subject. With so many “hot button” issues saturating our news feeds lately I find myself a bit heavy hearted that there is so much hate and anger in our world revolving about this issue. Should it be an issue at all? Who are we to judge?

Aitchison’s quote refers to open minded people, acceptance of others and living in peace without judgement. As a society we tend to focus on sexuality more than other issues such as un-wed pregnancies, obesity, suicide, divorce and infidelity. When arguing for or against sexuality issues, quite often the Bible is quoted to prove a point. I believe that hiding behind small pieces of scripture is misleading and dangerous; instead we must read the entire passage to get a full understanding of what the writer, (yes, the writer) is implying. The beauty of it I think is that we all have our own perceptions of what we read in the Bible or elsewhere in the same way we all have our own perceptions as to what foods we like or dislike, our favorite color, the choice of car we drive, the house we live in or the clothes we wear. We all have the freedom to live as we wish within the confines of the law, and love who we wish to love. Whether we agree or disagree on same sex unions (married or otherwise) we must remember that we all have the same rights under the United States Constitution no matter who or what we are. So why is it that we (society) focus on the sexual element of a same sex relationship? Why is it that we (society) do not focus on the sexual element of heterosexual relationships? Sex I believe is just a small portion of what makes up a healthy, whole loving relationship and just as we don’t question what straight people do in private we should not question was gay people do in private; it just simply should not matter.

I believe that the root cause of bias, anger and judgment is fear. As humans we allow fear to control our actions on a regular basis. By turning our own insecurities into a strategy to boost our own ego and re-direct attention from our own shortcomings we judge others and exclude them. Somehow we believe that it will make us feel better about ourselves. In reality we are only perpetuating the problem by ignoring our own faults. It doesn’t mean that we no longer have specific preferences or ideas when we become aware of the nature of our judgments, in fact we may still notice that certain types of behavior seem unappealing to us and that’s okay. However treating others negatively because of what we deem as unappealing or acceptable is I believe unacceptable. When we are able to work through our fears and have the right understanding, discernment rather than judgment kicks in and causes us to feel compassion for others, even if we are not overly enthusiastic about their behavior or lifestyle.

This week as you become involved in conversations about the Supreme Court’s decision or another hot topic I encourage you to be mindful of your responses and actions. I encourage you to have an open mind, to live without judgement and love without condition. We live in a great big world filled with the good stuff; we need to embrace it, nurture it and be part of the solution not the problem. American author and motivational speaker Wayne Dyer wrote “When you judge another, you do not define them, you define yourself.” Open Minds. Open Hearts. Love.

Peace,
Karla

I think we all need a touch point a place we can go to be inspired. Karla is my children’s teacher, a good friend, and a person with a heart of gold. I hope that her words will inspire you to do more. We are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with. It is important to listen with your heart and proceed with your eyes open. Enjoy!

Read more Karla’s Korner, also please visit Karla’s Lifetime Moms page and read her articles.

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