There are some truly horrible humans out there.
Let me start over, because I am trying to cultivate an attitude of loving my neighbor, and every one of these humans is my neighbor on this little speck of space dust we call Earth.
Some of my neighbors have been saying and doing some truly horrible things, not just lately but for years and years — lying about people I respect, twisting their words and taking them so far out of context as to be unrecognizable.
I’m speaking, of course, mainly of people in the political realm. Politics seems to attract liars and thieves and other sorts of scoundrels and criminals. I suppose any profession that enables you to seize other people’s money and do what you wish with it is going to attract people prone to bad behavior.
All of these people are going to die someday, and many of them will pass during my own lifetime. No matter how much I try to love them, some of these deaths will give me a sense of relief. I will not be happy, but I do expect to be relieved that these people are no longer a danger to me, mine, and peace in general.
I promise not to dance at their funerals. I promise not to say it’s a good thing they died. I promise not to say the world is a better place now that they’re gone.
Every death diminishes me. Every death removes a unique individual who will never pass this way again. Death is not the time to remind everyone of a person’s sins — let he who is without sin throw the rocks.
Even those who deny or mock God are God’s children, and far be it from me to celebrate the death of one of God’s children. I may not nod my head or shed a tear when you tell me what a wonderful person we’ve lost, but I will offer a quiet shoulder if you need to cry.
