Lemons

I read an article by Todd R. Nelson in The Christian Science Monitor about using lemons to help people recognize strength in diversity. Lemons. Lemonade. Lemon meringue pie. Lemon squares. Lemon juice and olive oil to pass gallstones. Lemons all look the same, but upon examining them closely, they each have unique identifiable characteristics. What’s the point? The point is that even though we are all humans, we each have unique, identifiable characteristics. We all look different, but inside each of us is something rare and special.

So how does that relate to dialogue in conflict situations? When we are face-to-face with another person, sometimes we only see the characteristics. Like all lemons are yellow, so we see all men as a certain way or all women as a certain way - or all Jews, or people of color or a particular religion. We respond to them according to our beliefs, rather than to the unique characteristics within them that often elude us.

So we say, “Ugh! That lemon is sour,” or “Ugh! That person is annoying.” When we add a little sugar or oil to the lemon we have lemonade or salad dressing. When we add a little compassion and consideration toward a person, we have a funny, intelligent, courageous person to count as a friend.

The law of cause and effect

How can we create more peace and justice?

Just today, as I was riding the bus to work, the driver stopped at a transfer station and even though the bus was early, immediately left the station. A man ran toward the bus waving his arms to signal the driver to stop, but the driver continued around the station. The man crossed the driveway and signaled the driver to stop again, but the bus kept rolling.

We were ten minutes early to our next transfer station and I asked a fellow passenger as we got off the bus why the driver didn't stop. He told me that the driver was just mean and never stopped for anyone. I could understand if the bus was running late, but this bus was not only on time, but early.

So maybe the other passenger was correct. This bus driver was just plain mean. But how about the passenger who missed his bus? He had to wait an hour for the next bus.

I think the bus driver lacked compassion. He had his own agenda and saw this passenger as somehow not fitting into his narrow view of appropriate bus-passenger behavior. He failed to see his role to another human being as being one of service. He saw this passenger as an obstacle interfering with his life.

How often do we look at others in a negative light as obstacles to our happiness rather than possessing all the humanity that we ourselves possess?

We can create more peace and justice by seeing others as capable, intelligent, and lovable; by having compassion for each person's struggle; and seeing them as providing us with opportunities to learn a more peaceful way to live.

Our bus driver lost a golden opportunity to demonstrate compassion to a bus load of passengers. The law of cause and effect is strict. His lesson is yet to be learned.