We are in this together

As we are all aware, some of the issues that we as a community at EMU have been facing have turned into discussions where we do not all see eye to eye.

I have great concern for what goes on at EMU and also believe the student newspaper can be a significant factor in the reflection of the campus. This being said, there is obviously reason for concern.

However, it is not the disagreements on the issues that concern me the most anymore, but the way people of opposite sides interact as a result to show what they believe. As people debate and go back and forth, it seems that something has been missing in the process.

While I have pondered this, a song with the words "Life without Jesus is like a donut, with a hole in the middle of your heart" has come to mind. Now don’t jump to a bunch of conclusions where I think people don’t have Jesus, I just believe the concept needs to be put more in the middle of what we are about and how we interact with each other in search of the truth. This includes hearing out each other’s viewpoints by filling our hearts with the love, spirit and understanding of our God.

At times this may come in the form of criticism, but it must be respectful criticism (backstabbing, gossip, and sarcasm don’t seem to usually work very well).

In the Mennonite environment where we interact, we are at times quick to bash our government and the decisions that are made on a global level, particularly with Bush when he rushed into war in Iraq while refusing to listen to the rest of the international community. Do we possess the same closed-mindedness and jump to conclusions while failing to truly listen to another’s point of view?

If you get the chance to go curse at Bush about his decisions straight to his face, do you think he will really respect you and listen? We must show respect in the way we conduct ourselves no matter what the differences as we deal with other individuals, which is something President Brubaker stressed in an announcement earlier in the year. This has not always happened based on our own silly conduct that has been put on public display within the EMU community.

The diversity we have as a university does not need to and is not meant to tear us apart. I was always taught it can be a good thing where you listen and learn from one another, even if you do not agree with them. Diversity can strengthen us as a community and bring us together in ways we never imagined were possible if we use it properly.

Unfortunately, enough people on all sides of the controversial issues seem to have made comments that have been taken as insensitive, sarcastic remarks. It has created a domino effect that seems to be only tearing us further apart, so here is a word of caution: be careful and sensitive to others. As we go about our differences in a world where we are often told there is no absolute truth, let us look to God’s word to fill the holes that exist in our donut here at EMU as we search for the real truth that life’s dilemmas bring upon us.

We are all in this together as a community and we are all a part of the solution whether left-wing or right-wing, Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative. We must learn to meet people where they are at by listening to them without continually stepping on each other’s toes. May we unite spiritually, not take ourselves so seriously, have some fun, eat some donuts, and look to God, His purpose, and His truth to fill the holes that exist, for the Truth will set us free.