RecentlyI wrote an e-mail to Pastor Jeffress who had made such an outlandish statement about Mormons being a cult!! I was incensed, just as I had been when I was a new convert to the Church--I actually thought that people were more enlightened these days. How naiive of me! But doing that e-mail made me realize that I might have something to say that would be of interest to a few people.
Here goes! When I was growing up, my mom quoted scripture to us--relating how we should live a "good life". The Golden Rule and the Ten Commandments were most often quoted and the basis of most of her teachings. The Beatitudes from Jesus' teachings in the New Testament found their way in, too.
How would you feel if you were that person? Don't say or do anything that you wouldn't want to hear. Being "considerate" of others was right up there with the Ten Commandments--what it really meant was that a good person was compassionate and thoughtful. Therefore, people who were pushy or inconsiderate were supposedly bad people.
My dad's favorite teaching was, "what would the world be like if everyone did what you're doing?" That started me thinking early in life. I think that I heard that one the first time I threw down a gum wrapper (instead of putting it in a trash can). I have thought about that principle so many times. Pop would be shocked these days to see everyone doing whatever....throwing trash down, cutting off other drivers, and many other morally reprehensible acts.
"Be the change you want to see", one of Ghandi's famous teachings, might be the remedy, especially with driving. I have decided to "be the change" by letting drivers merge into lanes, allowing them to pass, and other random acts of courteous driving. What would the world be like if everyone did that???
