Topic: How Much Do You Love Your Neighbor?
The question of who one’s neighbor is looks very simple
and easy that one can conjecturally give an answer to it without much hassle.
The truth is that this question is deeper than what one can perceive at the
surface while tackling it from the Christian perspective. A thorough Christian
doctrinal viewpoint will definitely change the way and manner one sees who his
or her neighbor is. This is important because if we do, most of the fracases we
are having on this planet earth will not surface at all.
Overtly, I want to state this fact that as humans we have
one constituency and that is the fact that we are human beings. So humanity
therefore, becomes the constituency of all humans irrespective of their color,
race and whatever you can mention that has catalyzed the distortion we are
having in the sense of our value for others. Interestingly, the blood which is
the fluid that powers life in human is red in color and no human has ever being
discovered to have a different color of blood. Though we have types of blood
and these types are spread across the races and colors of humans we have. The
implication of this is that, if a black man for instance is in need of blood
transfusion and a white or green man falls in the same category of his type of
blood; his blood stream will not reject it because it is coming from a white or
green human, and the situation is vice versa.
Therefore, having established this fact that one needs to
be human to be human on this earth and if you are human, you are human and
nothing can take it away from you. Building this consciousness in the skull of
everyone will definitely help to configure a mindset in humans that the
description of their humanity is not subject to the race and color they belong;
therefore should walk with his or her head high because he or she is human on
this earth. I said all that in order to induce a force in the mind of people
that will neutralize the inept acquiescent stance they have developed because
of their race and color. This is an indication that there is a situation or a problem
and this situation or problem is of the mind, and because it is a product of
the mind of individuals the only way to heal it is to eradicate the negative
ideas built in their minds.
So humans are having issues among themselves today just
because of some kind of negative ideas built in their thoughts as regards to
their relationship with the others. And this thought(s) is being predicated on
a certain force which I called hatred. The truth is that because of hatred, the
injustices, dehumanizations and all the demeaning things we found happening to
humans on this earth are taking place. Evidences have shown that these
situations and maladies grow and drive better in the presence of ignorance.
Ignorance is prevalent because of lack of truth and truth is hibernated where
knowledge is not made available and if knowledge is not available, ignorance
reigns and if ignorance reigns, the obvious product of it is ferociousness and
this ferocity is pivoted around hatred.
One of the things hatred induces is dichotomy. Once an
individual has started seeing himself or herself different from another, the
tendency for disparagement will not be circumvented in his or her relationship
with others who he or she thinks that are not in the same category racially. This
is very demeaning and it opposes everything that the essence of humanity stands
for and a swift action should be taken in order to ameliorate and redeem the
situation before further decimation takes place. Like I rightly pointed out
earlier, hatred is the bone of contention here either by commission or
omission, purposefully or unintentionally, knowingly and unknowingly and
ideologically and otherwise people hate people. Many hate people and they
cannot be able to point one cogent reason why they hate people, probably, just
that they know or heard someone is from a certain race or tribe. The only way
hatred can be eradicated is the induction of true LOVE in the mind of people.
This is possible because, love is encapsulated in the knowledge of the truth
and the knowledge of the truth terminates the existence of ignorance in the
life of people. Therefore, when love comes, truth is established, and truth
unfolds knowledge and knowledge eradicates ignorance. Love as a matter of fact
is the solution!
No wonder the bible in several of its injunctions made
this avowal “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” This is the cure for hatred;
loving one’s neighbor as one loves himself or herself is the crux. Now is
important to point out that you cannot love your neighbor if you don’t know who
your neighbor is. To some degree, people normally think that their neighbor is
someone who resides close to him or her well, that in a sense is true but not
totally true because one’s neighbor goes beyond someone who is residing close
to you. Your neighbor is that individual who is standing, sitting or walking by
your side at given time; he or she can alert people in case anything unusual is
happening to you. So someone’s neighbor varies from time to time and the truth
is that somehow your security and wellbeing momentarily lies in his or her hand.
You don’t need to know who he or she is but the fact remains that inasmuch as
he or she is standing, sitting or walking by you anything good or evil can
happen through him or her. The wise thing to do at any time is to create an
atmosphere of love; you may not speak to him or her but let your body language
show that.
Before you set out from your house in the morning or any
time of the day, make it a point of duty to pray for as many as they are you
will meet on your way going and coming that none should be hostile instead let
them be source of goodness to you. As you get ready to go to your farm pray for
the Fulani herdsmen because they might be the neighbor you going to have in
your farm. And as you are boarding that flight pray for the person who is going
to be siting by your side, let him or her be a kindhearted person because if he
or she is not, your journey though in a flight may be hellish.
However, the best way for one to love his or her neighbor
is to love him or her in the way Jesus has loved him or her. It is called
selfless love. This is very important because, if you try to love people the
way you love yourself, who knows if you really love yourself well. So many people
do not love themselves, therefore, they should not show others the kind of love
they have for themselves. They should go beyond how they love themselves and
begin to love the way and manner Jesus did love people. And that is loving
people irrespective of what their beliefs, stances and character about life is
in relationship with your likes or dislikes. You have to go beyond who you are
by forgetting who you are and show them kindness. David spoke about God’s
kindness, which is above what humans can offer. Your father in heaven causes
rain to fall for the good and bad, in the same vein you should cause your
kindness to fall for the good and bad within your vicinity.
Let this be your own goodwill during this Christmas
period. And however, remember to pray always for the people you are going to
meet on your way out and your way in, because life is not always about the
people you know is also about the people you meet on your way in and out!
Till
I come your way again, keep on basking in the Arena of Indubitable Truth!
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