Article December 9, 2019 Issue

We can get beyond prejudices and assumptions

Blythe Evans

Sadly, there’s a temptation among humanity to disparage others because of their race, religion, gender, age, hometown, or nationality. And this has been going on for thousands of years. We can read examples of it throughout the Bible—including in Jesus’ day, when those debating whether or not he might be Christ, the promised Messiah, asked, “Shall Christ come out of Galilee?” (John 7:41).

Judging others based on these characteristics often finds expression in an attempt to exclude individuals from places or activities that should be available to all, such as the freedom to live or work where they would like. More hateful forms of prejudice try to block the right to participate in communities and society as a whole.

I often ask myself what drives a tendency to view our fellow men and women negatively, and the sometimes resulting desire to somehow thwart their progress. I believe at the most fundamental level, it’s the fear that good can be limited, that there is not enough good to go around. This mistaken view translates into the fear that if someone else advances, it might mean a setback or failure for us. But humanity need not get stuck in that ditch; there is a more constructive way to think and act.

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