Consider this old Swedish proverb: “When a blind man carries a lame man, both go forward.” That would be a startling sight, wouldn’t it. Take a moment right now and create that picture in your mind. The eyes of the lame man and the legs of the blind man get them where they want to go. Alternative? They both stay home. They both resign to their physical “problems.” They both curse the reality of their lives. But put them together and life works…not perfectly, but it works.
Short step, isn’t it, to the broader meaning. How can two different beliefs or views or understandings come together to benefit the greater good? There is no more pertinent question today than that. Without surrendering, can we survive? Can we move forward without demanding “my way?” We do not live in an “either-or” world. If the principle that “everything is connected,” “the pieces depend on each other to make the whole” is true, then to insist that “my way is the right and only way” is beyond foolishness. That position is fatal to relationships at all levels.
There is only one way to pray, and it is the way I do it. There is only one correct way to celebrate Holy Communion, and it’s my way. There is only one understanding of that Scripture passage, and I possess that knowledge…you don’t. There is a right way and a wrong way to make a chocolate pie, and I know the right way. I find it amazing that “I” knows everything and is always right.
They say that climate change and AI will eventually do us in, but greed may beat them to the punch. The way to make “either-or” work is to build walls, stockpile weapons and highlight weakness. The way to make “both-and” work is to drop the greed and pick up the Grace. I’m not always right and you’re not always right, but if we put our hearts, our hands, and our minds together, we might find a solution we both can live with. I don’t like the alternative. It’s not very comforting to know that the best we can do is call names and argue.
Finally, it’s not simply a matter of survival in this highly technical, algorithmic world. It has more to do with who I am as a human person, and who you are. The conversation is not about winning or losing; it is about the meaning of living. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if world leaders could have that conversation? Or next-door neighbors? The fullness of life. Do unto others… Wouldn’t it be amazing if the blind man picked up the lame man and they moved forward together? Am I “my brother’s keeper” or my brother’s curse?
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