The Gray

I read this quote recently and it added meaning to my thoughts on the need and benefit for opposition in society.

"One of the lessons that emerges quite clearly from the Book of Mormon is that we don’t thrive as individuals, but as societies. There is no such thing in the Book of Mormon as a righteous, prosperous individual surrounded by the poor. The blessings of well-being and prosperity are bestowed upon groups and communities, and not upon individuals. Our well-being as individuals depends, more than anything else, upon being part of a society where people recognize their dependence upon one another, esteem their neighbors as themselves and where people try to extend their blessings to others among whom they live . . . Being part of Zion means recognizing the people who live downstream as brothers and sisters, and taking due regard for them as well as nature."

There are certain extreme factions of society that we, as LDS people, generally steer clear from:  Animal activists, environmentalists, gay rights activists, feminists, those who are drastic in their views of what is "politically correct", atheists, and liberals.  I for one, tend to stay away from extreme views on any topic, but have grown lately in my appreciation for the purposes which opposing views serve.  I think it is the nature of humankind to see the world through our own individual colored lenses, when in fact if we were born into different circumstances, our views would be greatly altered.  I am always conscious of this when I come in contact with a person that I disagree with.  Take the feminist movement for example.  If it weren't for Elizabeth Cady Stanton and 100 other brave men and women who drafted the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions for the women's rights convention in 1848, demanding equality with men before the law, where would we be today?  She and her supporters were considered extremists in her day, as are feminists in our day.  

How about environmentalists?  Would any of us be at all conscious of conserving energy and natural resources if it weren't for the environmentalists who raised concerns about the future of the Earth?  Whether you agree with them or not, it just makes sense to use and re-use, to conserve energy, and use things that aren't harmful to the Earth, doesn't it?  And while I continue to drive my huge SUV and live in a large home (both of which I enjoy), I also recycle plastic, paper, and glass and am vigilant about turning off lights when I leave a room.  Sometimes I even buy organic food and use cleaning supplies void of harsh chemicals--all because of "those environmental extremists" who brought their concerns into my consciousness.

I am also very thankful for those "politically correct" people who remind me to think of others' sensitivities when they suggest better ways of expressing ourselves in a more sensitive, informed way.  Examples of language commonly referred to as "politically correct" include:

--"Mentally challenged" in place of "Retard" and other terms

--"African American" in place of "Black," "Negro" 

--"Native American" in place of "Indian"

--"Gender-neutral" terms such as "firefighter" in place of "fireman"

--The use of the word "gender" instead of the word "sex" to distinguish males and females

--Terms relating to disability, such as "visually challenged" or "hearing impaired" in place of "blind" or "deaf and dumb"

Can you believe that within my lifetime, it was once completely acceptable to refer to someone as "deaf and DUMB"?!  And while I don't fully understand why certain terms would be offensive to some, I do admit that people who continually refer to all people as "man" or "he", get under my skin sometimes.  Because of this, I try to use politically correct terms when referring to other people.  I realize that sometimes these individuals are overly sensitive and ridiculous in their complaints, but they definitely raise awareness in other people with a different race, history, or experience than our own.

I would even go as far as to say that I believe that if the opinions of all of these types of activists were taken in stride, meaning carefully weighed, pondered and applied in a balanced way, it would promote us to understand and love our neighbor to a greater degree, which as the Apostle John declared “that he who loveth God love his brother also,” and added, “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar” (1 Jn. 4:21, 20). Love of God and neighbor must therefore be inseparably connected.  The quandary is, as I see it, that life isn't all black and white.  It is most often varying shades of gray.  We want to be able to say this person or group is wholly bad,  possesing no redeeming qualities, and therefore we reject everything they say or stand for.  It would be nice if it were that easy, wouldn't it?

In my opinion, there is not enough separation in the "society" of our church between the sin and the sinner or the person and their opinion. Everyone has a story which we can learn from, even the worst and most plagued individual among us. I am thankful for the lessons to be learned from the outliers in society. And while I do not condone their actions which are considered "sinful", I just don't see a person as all corrupt or all honorable. So I will continue to discern for myself between the good and bad in every person, taking the good into my own life with considerable appreciation.