One way of looking at life.

 I awakened this morning. With a feeling that maybe Joe (a pseudonym) deserves our empathy. Because he keeps searching for happiness. And doesn't find it. He shouldn't be written off. Nobody should be written off. Maybe we humans tend to be far too judgmental. Holier than thou. Looking with disdain on others. Especially if we think they are on a wayward path. We start to think like pious Christians. And that's very dangerous. I wrote off my sister. For a long, long time. Because she didn't do as I scripted. Maybe I wrote her off because I was selfish. Displayed a lack of empathy. I justified writing her off. Because I didn't want to be dragged down. Emotionally. Mentally. I denied her help. Denied her my understanding. Maybe that wasn't the right thing to do. Of course, I'm not necessarilty saying it was the wrong thing. Gets back to my constant theme. That maybe there isn't a truly right or wrong way. Especially in dealing with people. We end up picking and choosing. Willy-nilly. Randomly. We love some more than others. We find it impossible to love everyone. Only god is capable of that. Therefore, we reject people. Even some of our brothers and sisters. Our friends. Our spouses. Because they don't toe our line. Could be that Joe is grappling with his own soul. And that he feels wretched. Knowing that he's unable to bring himself to do the right thing. Maybe he doesn't know how to find happiness. Maybe he's weak. Weaker than my sister. In the search for happiness. Maybe it's imcomprehensible for Joe to find happiness by loving another more than himself. I wonder, is that a sin? I was raised a Christian. Now I'm a free-thinker. But that doesn't stop me from thinking about the Christian precept. That we are all sinners. We all sin. One way or another. In many, many ways. Maybe Joe is merely trying to be a happy sinner. Like me. I'm a relatively happy sinner. In a convoluted sort of way. Yes, maybe Joe deserves my/our empathy. That's one way of looking at life. --Jim Broede