If I can’t win, I want you to lose

I’ve been noticing a certain kind of mentality more and more. Maybe you’ve been noticing it, too. It’s a kind of mentality that disparages anyone with different opinions and perspectives. It’s a kind of mentality that belittles anyone with different beliefs. It’s a kind of mentality that’s arrogant, exclusive, and divisive.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t see a whole lot of love in that mentality — and love is what we need now more than ever.

We’ve been wasting a lot of time trying to prove ourselves right — pointing the finger and blaming those who oppose us for the problems that exist. And whether we’re right or wrong is irrelevant — we’re still part of the problem if our approach is backed by the denigrating mentality that seems to persist in our culture today.

We’ve been too busy seeking our own justice — fighting petty personal battles and righting the wrongs waged against us. Meanwhile, humanity is suffering. The damage and the destruction are growing. The tension and the turmoil are at a breaking point. The division we’ve created by our misguided focus is tearing us apart.

So, what do we do? Where do we go from here? How do we effectively manage the differences between us?

It’s all in how we look at it.

Differences are like a double-edged sword. We can leverage them for good — moving forward as a people, a nation, and a world. Or we can let the sword of our differences cut us all down — fighting ourselves and killing any chance of unity.

Somewhere, evil is watching this battle and laughing because it knows the outcome — no one wins. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Friends, we are fighting the wrong battle. Today, I pray for healing, peace, and unity. I encourage everyone to join.