Break the Cycle with Kindness
She opens her mouth with wisdom, and teaching of kindness is on her tongue. (Proverbs 31:26)
You are who you really are when no one is looking. Years ago, I had two mutual friends who vacationed together in an economically challenged country. The plan was to lay on the beach, soak up the sun, and relax. Both friends worked hard and were committed to issues of justice and equality. Yet, on the beach, where workers made less than a dollar an hour, the one friend treated the employees like slave labor. Not just once but continually throughout the week. The friend who remained kind to others was shocked and disappointed by her friend. But, unfortunately, the crass person did not see her hypocrisy.
I remembered the two friends’ vacation while reading this week’s Washington Post article. “It’s disgusting’: Bali locals are fed up with bad tourists,” by Natalie B. Compton and Gabe Hiatt, who share a similar story of disrespect for local people on the island paradise. One example, “Immigration officials announced last week they deported a Russian man who posted a widely circulated photo to social media that showed him with his pants around his ankles atop Mount Agung, a sacred site for Hindus.”
All people deserve respect and dignity, even when we are on vacation. Most of us live fast-paced, demanding lives and are regularly frustrated by how people often treat us. So, when we have the upper hand, giving payback can momentarily feel good. Unfortunately, the payback is at the expense of innocent people. We are just continuing the cycle of rudeness. Many of those who were rude to us were having their vacation moment at our expense.
As people of faith, it is our task to break the cycle of rudeness. Society is less kind than in previous decades. We are stressed, preoccupied, and fearful of an unpredictable future. Our disrespect reflects our fear. The reason the Bible asks us to “Fear the Lord” is not to fear God but not to fear anything else. If you are going to fear something, fear God! So today, pray for the patience to see others as children of God, worthy of your kindness and respect. Then, when you pull up your pants on the mountaintop and apologize to the waitstaff, your anxiety level will decrease, and the Holy Spirit will have room to heal the angst.