"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others."
Phil 2:3-4
I don't watch the news. I find it, well, depressing. As a kid, I used to love to watch the CBS morning show with Harry Smith and Paula Zahn. They were humorous, and they seemed to care about the stories that they were reporting. I never felt uneasy watching because they were professional. They asked important questions, but they never seemed to back people into a corner or try to get someone to say something that could be used as a soundbite by a different network or political party. I'm not sure when all that changed, but somewhere along the way, the news became about opinion, pundits, blame, name calling and a constant battle for bragging rights. Cable news stations like Fox News and MSNBC trade barbs between anchors using terms like "lame-stream media" and "Christian Right". Every reporter has a story to tell, and they are ready to make a judgment call based on that opinion (and sometimes the opinions of others).
It's very easy to judge someone, I do it everyday, but I rarely do it charitably. I assume the worst about other people's actions based on motives I think up in my head. I assume my mom doesn't care about me because she's not home from work on time and hasn't called. I get angry with her because I assume something about her motivation, I refuse to think charitably about her, I don't give her the benefit of the doubt. I look to my own interests alone, out of selfishness and "vain conceit". I do not humble myself and value her (or anyone else) above myself and think about their interests. It could very well be that she simply forgot, after all I forget things all the time. Maybe she just lost track of time. There are a million possible reasons for her behavior, but my mind focuses on the bad. The media outlets and politicians do the same thing.
Please understand I am not calling the media selfish or saying that either political party is acting out of vain conceit. I don't know that. For all I know, they could be fighting for someone who is struggling financially or is hurting in ways I can't begin to understand. I am saying that both sides seem to be concerned only with their own interests. They are like two people just staring each other down, waiting for the other to blink. They refuse to attempt a compromise because it seems like weakness or treason. They both assume the other is trying to somehow destroy the country all because they have a differing opinion on policies. They see things as black and white, as either-or, all or nothing. All the while missing the shades of gray that could have prevented a shut down. And people eat it up; we thrive on the drama. We stand strong with our party, refusing to budge because we just know that the other side is wrong. People post pictures and sayings on social media calling for salary decreases for Congress, a new president (like that would help), the repeal of the Affordable Care Act; they call our president names and look for the "Christian" solution for wanting him out of office. They are making a judgment based on the friends they have, the cable news shows they watch and their own interests.
Instead, what we need to do is what Paul tells the Philippians in Phil. 2:4, " Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others." We need to stop making selfish judgment calls based on our own opinions of others' actions and start making charitable judgments based on God's value of them as His children and His call for us as Christians, to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven"(Matt. 5:44). Could it be or is it just me?
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