COEXIST: An exterior viewpoint

Purity or wholeness? Two conditions that are viewed as desirable, yet can result in markedly different behaviors.

Attaining purity can entail “casting out” that which is “impure.” The problem — who determines what is impure?

In the media we see and hear condemnation of those with different political affiliations, sexual orientation, social viewpoints, ethnic heritage and other values. These differences are often used in the construction of degrading caricatures of the ones condemned, well short of a truthful understanding of who they really are.

In essence, a “false identity” is imposed upon the ones condemned by those condemning them. It is much easier to hate someone you don’t really know. One also has to wonder when does the casting out end? When is “true” purity obtained?

Wholeness, on the other hand, is a “gathering in” of that which may be unlike oneself. It can require careful examination, a fuller understanding of the similarities and differences in order to ascertain how we can coexist. It might take a little more effort than striving for purity, yet in reality there is no one among us exactly like another.

It does not mean that agreement has to be achieved on every issue, but the ability to hold different viewpoints in a peaceful and civil manner is helpful. There is a saying “I don’t have to be wrong for you to be right.”

Viewed from space, Earth appears as a peaceful whole. Perhaps that was meant as a guide for our journey.

ERNEST WARNER

Coeur d’Alene