I had one of those epiphany things on Thursday morning. I was journaling about how the rabid partisans who were calling each other nazis and communists and evil incarnate for months could find a way to come down from their high horses and seek common ground after that appalling mutual display of hatred.
As is often the case lately, I found myself returning to the words I installed as the subhead of this blog some time ago: “Love your neighbor, and everyone is your neighbor.”
“I need to make that my mantra: Everyone is my neighbor,” I wrote.
That’s when the epiphany thing struck, and I went in and changed the subtitle.
I kept writing:
Everyone is my neighbor.
I have been saying everyone is “your” neighbor, but I can’t tell you that until I live it myself, and not even then.
It’s up to me to love my neighbor and recognize that everyone is my neighbor.
I can only control myself, and so the imperative can only apply to me. I can’t compel you to love your neighbor, but I can do my best to love my neighbor, recognizing that every soul I encounter and every soul on this planet is my neighbor.
… and also recognizing that love is a decision, not an emotion. I fight a host of negative feelings to reach the conclusion that I must love some people, but that’s the imperative: Love my neighbor, and everyone is my neighbor.
Now if only I could convince you to try that mantra out for size. I’ll keep trying.
