(Each Saturday, a faith leader offers a personal perspective in this space. To become part of this series, email religion@recorder.com)
The sun was setting behind the green trees that lined our property as I struggled to put into words something meaningful and inspiring for this column. With all that is going on in the world — all the meanness, all the ugliness — I wanted to share something uplifting and hopeful. As I often do, I looked for a quote.
“The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was, ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But … the good Samaritan reversed the question: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”
This quote from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. got me thinking. Like the fog lifting off the mountains as the sun heats up the earth, I realized that one of the biggest problems we have in the world today is that too many people are thinking of themselves, first.
Being egocentric does not allow for the serendipity of getting to know and serve others. Like toddlers with a mantra of, “I, me, my, mine,” adults around the world have lost touch with how important it is to think in the third person plural, “We, us, our, ours.”
We are in trouble. We are in pain. We are suffering. Together, we can heal, share and care. Together, we can shift the egocentric world view to a more magnanimous point of view. Thing is, we need to do this together … not one person alone, struggling to climb a mountain. Rather, we can go together — hand in hand — guiding, uplifting, inspiring each other to keep going, until we suddenly realize we have indeed reached the summit.
Myrtle Reed, author of “A Weaver of Dreams,” wrote, “If we all tried to make other people’s paths easy, our own feet would have a smooth place to walk on.”
Loving our neighbors is never a futile act. Always, we receive more than we could hope for if we give of ourselves unconditionally, which, for some, is the rub. Giving unconditionally means not looking at the age, gender, color, religion, nationality, political preference, or any other demographic in which we place people. Giving unconditionally means we don’t look for a reward, or a thank you, or a pat on the back. Giving unconditionally means that we see a need, do something about it and then walk away, knowing in your heart that you have made a difference.
So, what would happen if I don’t stop to help? Others might pick up the slack; there are many good and giving people in this world. However, I could miss the opportunity to connect with others, to see the joy on their faces, to feel the warmth of friendship fill my heart.
Like the Good Samaritan, we can each do something to help those around us. In fact, one of the major tenets of every faith path is to care for others as we would want others to care or treat us. Respect, dignity and compassion cost nothing to give, but are priceless.
Let us all be catalysts for the change this world needs. Let us change the egocentric to the all-inclusive as we travel through summer and beyond.
Rev. Linda M. Rhinehart Neas is an ordained interfaith minister. She graduated from The New Seminary in New York City. She often fills the pulpit in local Franklin County churches. She maintains an international online ministry through Facebook. Rev. Neas can be reached at revlindaneas2013@gmail.com and https://www.facebook.com/revlindaneas/