Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Closing Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

We all have neighbors.  We all choose what kind of neighbor we will be to each other.  We make choices based on our own thoughts and values.  My neighbors are diverse in almost every way I can ponder.  Getting to know them is a blessing.

Whether we think of neighbors on the local, social, or national scale the obligation is for us to be good.  It is required that we treat each neighbor well.  We can be good neighbors if we choose.  Instead we seem to wait for others to make the first move.  My neighbors and I get along because we talked to each other.  I met their children.  We talked enough about our lives to know each other a little.

It is easy to be a good neighbor if we try.  I have to be aware enough to see when others need someone to be neighborly.  I need to be intentional in my attempts to be good to others.  I must put the needs of others as a priority in my life.

The command to love my neighbor is not conditional.  It is one of the two basic commands that are foundational to all law.  I cannot love God properly if I do not love my neighbor.  In a world where darkness seems to gather more quickly and deeply every day, perhaps the finest light is to love one’s neighbor.  Perhaps if others know in advance that I will love them, they will be more inclined to say yes to the question “please won’t you be my neighbor?”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Strangers and Aliens

Greetings Dear Reader,

One cannot listen to or view media without encountering the stories about securing our borders and those trying to cross them.  I am trying to gain a perspective on what the heart of this should be for me.  There are clear answers and I must be sure that I know what I believe and live accordingly., 

Even under the very strict laws of ancient Israel there were rules governing “strangers in the land.”  Exodus 22:21 "Never mistreat or oppress foreigners, because you were foreigners living in Egypt.”  The word for “foreigner” literally translates to “a temporary inhabitant, a newcomer lacking inherited rights.” 

I will not ignore that there are those who seek to enter our land with intent to do wrong.  We should have a system in place for this that works.  We do not.  What we must not do is let the innocent suffer because of what the guilty might do in our land.  We have failed at this in the past.  The interment of Japanese-AMERICANS during World War II is just one example. 

We must be safe but we must not violate the human rights of anyone to do so.  There is a way through all of this if we will be humane rather than political.  We can find a way to be a shining example of freedom and protect our land if we choose to do both.  We first need to stop arguing and be more neighborly about it.

The stranger in the land is still my neighbor.  I cannot claim to follow Christ and neglect this truth.  So I say to those seeking a life of freedom, hope, and safety “please won’t you be my neighbor?”

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Driving in my Car

Greetings Dear Reader,

I am not sure that I have thought of it this way before yesterday.  There is a four-way stop that I pass through daily.  All too often I see people making right turns scoot through the intersection without stopping.  Yesterday someone did this and almost hit me.

In the anger that leapt to my mind over the incident my thoughts were briefly not very neighborly.  Then it occurred to me that I needed to love that person beyond their poor driving choices.  Whether we wish it or not, one of the true strongholds of our anger is our private space behind the wheel of our car.

We do not consider enough that everyone with whom we share the road is our neighbor.  We only share proximity with them for a moment but in that moment, we are required to love them as a neighbor.  If we think of things in this light, would it change the way we drive?

Every time I drive I take on responsibility for the wellbeing of others.  If I am not a good neighbor I endanger lives.  Even though I have not thought of it this way before in terms of neighbors I have noticed that driving has become quite un-neighborly.

Perhaps some reminders for all of are in order:

Stop signs mean stop

• It never hurts me to let someone else go first
• The space between me and the other car is for safety
• The space between me and the other car is not for you
• The space between me and the other car is required
• The speed limit is the highest legal speed not the required speed
• Your dog should not be driving
• You do not need to drive as fast as you think you do
• Zipper merging works if everyone behaves

I think that I could go on for this for quite a bit.  I also think you get the point.  I must be aware of my neighbors when I am driving.  I must consider their needs and be humble, patient, and kind.  Even in rush hour traffic I am required to be a good neighbor.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ All Colors

Greetings Dear Reader,

It seems that the simple things get in the way of good neighbors.  We allow our minds to follow things that we know are neither logical nor just.  The idea of being racist is appalling to us.  Yet at some level we still fail to see past color.

I am not talking about those who are intentionally prejudicial to the races different from their own.  They have another set of problems that I will not address here.  I am focused on the discipline of fighting off inherited assumptions or rejecting false stereotypes.

We do this no matter what the color of our skin.  We hear the words that others speak and may not intentionally adopt them.  The problem comes when those thoughts resurface unbidden.  We think the thing we would not and then have to push it away.

Because of the way our culture is we must keep our un-neighborly thoughts captive.  We can only hope to be good neighbors if we constantly think well of others.  We can recognize wrong without relegating it to foolish assumptions or generalizations.  We need to remember that all color based stereotypes, good or bad are improper.   

I will not lie and claim that these thoughts do not try to enter my mind.  What I will always do is fight them.  I will analyze what triggers them and kill the association.  I will look at everyone as a part of the human race.  I will do what it takes to treat people with love and kindness.  I will invite them to be my neighbor. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Different Morals and Values

Greetings Dear Reader,

One of our natural reactions is to shun people with morals and values that differ from ours. Differences can make us uncomfortable and we follow the wrong path.  We may just avoid them.  We may choose to protest against them.  Sometimes we go so far as to imprison them, deny them rights, and persecute them. 

No matter what your excuse none of this is loving a neighbor.  We cannot legislate, prosecute, or persecute others into our way of thinking or belief.  Humans will do as they choose.  They have free will and no human can control that.

Knowing that nothing oppressive works we are left with a choice.  How are we going to treat others that differ from us in our morals and values?  If I hope to follow Christ well the answer is simple.  I must treat them like a neighbor, with love.  I must love my neighbor no matter how I feel about his or her morals and values.  Let that sink in for a moment.

The command to love your neighbor is not couched in qualifiers.  There is no “unless” attached.  We do that.  We fill the command with our own baggage.  We water it down to exclude those who we dislike, make us uncomfortable, or even hate.  We choose to claim we are loving when we are not. 

What then is the answer for me as a Christ follower?  I have very exclusive morals and values.  There are things that I believe to be wrong, full stop.  I am not wrong to believe those things.  I am wrong to discount, disavow, or disrespect anyone who differs from me.  It is my obligation to love my neighbor. 

In light of that I choose to treat my neighbors with love and kindness.  I am privileged to have neighbors who differ from me greatly.  I have forged an interaction with them that is kind and friendly.  That is what we need to do for each other.  That is how we should be as humans.  So, if you are different from me, I ask you, please won’t you be my neighbor?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Are You Special?

Greetings Dear Reader,

Some years ago, one of the stories that surfaced about Fred Rogers was that part of his message was harmful.  The perspective was that telling every child that he or she is special is not healthy.  It caused quite a stir at the time and has resurfaced with the advent of the documentary.

The real problem here is that we must all answer that question sooner or later.  Is each of us special?   We must address if our life is unique and has significant value.  We must decide that about everyone. 

The analysis should be simple.  If you are conservative and believe in God then every life is special because it contains a unique soul on the same journey as you are.  If you are liberal and believed in God then the same applies.  If you are an atheist it does become more complex. 

Since faith is not your standard it falls to you to choose what you think the value of life is.  We live in a world where that value varies from culture to culture.  We fight over the value of life, when it begins, and who can choose to end it.  It should not surprise us when there are those who see life as less than unique to the individual. 

I would submit that we dare not dismiss the value of any life until we have taken honest assessment of our own.  I do mean honest.  It is easy to count oneself valuable or worthless when pride and pain are in play.  It is much more difficult to do the same with honesty and integrity.

As a Christ follower I believe that every life; every soul is unique.  I believe that we are all special in some way that the world needs.  We all have something to contribute to the journey back to the Father.  What does this mean then to everyday life for me?

It is simple.  It means that you are special and that I want to know you and the ways in which your life makes the world a better place.  If I am going to accomplish that I must do so by journeying with you.  No matter where we fall in step I must treat you with love and kindness.  No matter what our differences I must see that you are a life worthy of kindness and grace.  So, please won’t you walk with me for a bit and, therefore, for a time be my neighbor.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

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Won’t You be My Neighbor ~ Opening Thoughts

Greetings Dear Reader,

With the premiere of the Fred Rogers documentary, “Won’t You be My Neighbor?” this week, I have been thinking about the impact of his ideas on our world.  There is also the idea of neighbors and how we treat each other.  I have written about this before from a standpoint of definition and inclusion. 

What I intend for this series of thoughts is to clarify my own vision of “neighbor” and extend invitations.  The idea of how we treat each other matters so deeply.  In a world where we divide over politics at the expense of human lives we truly are missing the point.

We live in a world of neighbors.  From those across the hall or street to those across the world, we cannot hope to prosper if we do not treat each other better.  This means everyone.  We all find some group or social issue over which we choose to be poor neighbors.  If you think for a moment you are not included in this you are deceived.  We are all crooked sticks.  We all choose someone to disavow as our neighbor.  I know that I do this even when I wish not to do so.

I want to be accountable to my obligation to ask everyone to be my neighbor.  I want to do so clearly with intent and out of love.  I will see the movie about Fred Rogers out of respect for the man.  I will think deeply about the idea of neighbor and how I can be better at it.  You, Dear Reader are one of my fondest neighbors.  I hope you will share your thoughts and questions with me as we walk together. 

Won’t You Be My Neighbor – Fred Rogers

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,
A beautiful day for a neighbor,
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

It's a neighborly day in this beauty wood,
A neighborly day for a beauty,
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let's make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine? Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please, won't you please,
Please won't you be my neighbor?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Contacts for Aramis Thorn:

This BLOG:  http://aramisthorn.blogspot.com/ 

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