Coexist

Coexist

One character trait of a mature person is the ability to get along with those you don’t agree with or like. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who are different than me. Not only do they look different but they also think and act different. The older I get, the greater the challenge to live in such a diverse culture.

There are a lot COEXIST bumper stickers where I live. If you have never seen one they are white with either blue or black letters surrounded by a variety of religious symbols. It was designed by a Polish graphic designer in 2000. You can order one on Amazon.

Coexist is an interesting concept. The dictionary says it means to exist together at the same time; to live at peace with each other. No doubt, the world would be a much better place if that were the case. A cursory reading of world history tells us that this ideal has yet to find a place in the heart of man. Many of the world conflicts have religious ideology as their starting point.

Unfortunately, our culture is but another example of trying to legislate tolerance by political correctness, rewriting history and utopian bumper stickers. All the while mistaking the source of the problem: ourselves. How much easier is it to point the finger at someone else than it is to take responsibility our self. A classical sign of immaturity.

The Bible which itself is full of intolerance among people does hit the nail on the head when the prophet Jeremiah says, “The heart of man is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I God, search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”

Thank God!